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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22465372">Dealing With Ghosts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamarik/pseuds/yamarik'>yamarik</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>You Look Like You've Seen a Ghost [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>K (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Banter, Drama, Established Relationship, M/M, Sad Ghosts, evil ghosts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:35:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>58,722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22465372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamarik/pseuds/yamarik</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Even after mastering ghost-repulsion powers, Saruhiko is still running into troublesome ghosts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki, Munakata Reishi/Suoh Mikoto/Totsuka Tatara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>You Look Like You've Seen a Ghost [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Saruhiko Brings a Ghost to Homra</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome back to this au (or just welcome, as the case may be)<br/>Right now, this is looking like it's just going to be a bunch of Homra's ghosthunting cases without much overarching plot waiting to be resolved. I've been brainstorming some sort of penultimate problem like Niki was, but so far all I've come up with has been rather unsatisfactory to me.<br/>Speaking of dissatisfaction, I'm not entirely happy with this first chapter, but this was my third attempt to get this started and I really didn't want to go for a fourth.<br/>Lastly, my writing speed has been a bit slow recently, and I also have some other projects going so expect sporadic updates. Sorry 'bout that.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Let me tell you something; not all ghosts are dead<br/>
They are thoughts and ideas that live in my head<br/>
These cockroach thoughts crawl inside unbidden<br/>
They uncover the things that I try to keep hidden<br/>
So many memories that I find far too haunting<br/>
But the thought of forgetting is even more daunting<br/>
Every time I start to think that they have gone dormant<br/>
They rise once again to inflict some fresh torment<br/>
Their constant presence is a threat to my sanity<br/>
Or perhaps the risk is in fact my humanity<br/>
I am scared I will make all the same mistakes<br/>
It's a fear that keeps me up and gives me the shakes<br/>
I don't want to become the ghosts that I've seen<br/>
I don't want to be someone who's sadistic and mean<br/>
I want to feel like I am worth your love<br/>
Even though your heart's what I'm most afraid of<br/>
Because, you see, in this world so unforgiving<br/>
Rather than the dead, I am haunted by the living<br/>
</p><hr/>
<p>At the sound of the door being opened, Saruhiko clicked his tongue; today had been such a <i>nice</i> day so far. But the door opening meant clients, and clients meant he had to give some sort of greeting, even if all future communications would between him and the client would occur via email. Douhan may have been a pretty ideal boss, but she did still insist on that one little social nicety, because apparently, “People like being able to put a face to a name, Saruhiko. They want to work with a human being, not a computer screen.” Saruhiko had pointed out that he didn’t really give a damn what people wanted, but Douhan had just argued over him, pointing out that they needed to satisfy their clients if they wanted to make money.
</p>
<p>With a sigh, Saruhiko swivelled in his office chair, pivoting to face the new clients. When he saw them, however, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. The man and the woman were nondescript enough, but with them was a young girl, probably middle school age, and she was floating.
</p>
<p>“Um, excuse me, is this, uh… Ninja Private Investigations?” the woman asked, hesitating before saying the admittedly embarrassing name. That was another thing Douhan put her foot down on: she wouldn’t change the name, no matter how much Saruhiko complained about it. He’d tried changing the name on the computer once so that all their document headings and email sign-offs read “Hirasaka Private Investigations” instead, but Douhan had simply threatened to tell Saruhiko’s boyfriend about some of his most humiliating moments. And while Saruhiko’s official stance was that he didn’t get embarrassed and therefore had no humiliating moments to speak of, there were certain things Misaki really didn’t need to know about. Or rather, things that Misaki’s “family” should never ever discover. While the people at Homra had grown on Saruhiko- some might even venture as far as to say he was “fond” of them, in his own way- they were still nosy and obnoxious and they never let anything go. It had been almost eight months since he’d left the bar, and yet they still kept bringing up his last few days working there just about every time he saw them. Just because they’d all walked in on his and Misaki’s first make-out session…
</p>
<p>“Yes, it is,” Douhan responded to the woman, putting on her business smile that made clients think she was a nice person but gave Saruhiko the chills since he knew the demon that lay inside. “I’m Hirasaka Douhan, and this is my partner, Fushimi Saruhiko. What can we help you with?”
</p>
<p>“I’m Imai Karen, and this is my husband, Sakuya,” the woman said. “We’d like you to find our daughter, Yuzuru, she’s missing.”
</p>
<p>“We went to the police a week ago, but they’re barely even looking for her,” the man huffed, crossing his arms. “They've got more important things to do than find a missing middle schooler, apparently.”
</p>
<p>“And we put up posters, but no one’s called,” the woman added, tears in her voice. “Please, we’re getting desperate. She could be lost, or hurt, or-”
</p>
<p>“Your daughter, was she about 145 cm, shoulder length dark brown hair, last seen wearing a pink and grey jacket over her school uniform?” Saruhiko asked, even though he really shouldn’t. Douhan’s eyes cut in his direction, and he tilted his chin ever-so-slightly to confirm her suspicions.
</p>
<p>“Yes, how did you-?” the woman began.
</p>
<p>“Saw some of your posters,” Saruhiko replied bluntly, because he knew not to tell her the truth. She probably wouldn’t believe him, and even if she did, that sort of news was much better coming from someone nicer than Saruhiko. Someone like Anna, maybe, or Totsuka or Kusanagi would be ideal. Though really, pretty much anyone would be better than Saruhiko, who was a little short on empathy. A little short meaning his empathetic skills were limited to people he cared about, and even then came only in small doses on rare occasions. 
</p>
<p>“We’ll look into it,” Douhan said, and Saruhiko wondered if she’d lost her mind. There was no point in looking into this, hadn’t she understood that? “If we don’t find anything within a week, we’ll have to drop the investigation since we cannot spend too much time on any one thing, but should that be the case, no payment will be expected of you. In the meantime, let’s start with some questions about your daughter’s disappearance.”
</p>
<p>As Douhan questioned the couple, Saruhiko sighed. Ah, so she had understood. She probably just didn’t want to turn the couple away since it would be bad business. He turned back to his computer and the less-than-pleasant task of scrolling through social media posts to find every last bit of evidence that a certain man had been cheating on his wife with no less than six different girlfriends. It was annoying work, but at least he could console himself with the fact that the wife would have one hell of a case against her husband when she filed for divorce.
</p>
<p>Eventually, the couple got up to leave, and Fushimi found himself doing something he probably shouldn’t: reaching inside himself, he summoned up a rope of power and threw it around the floating girl, keeping her from leaving. The Imai’s left, leaving just Saruhiko, Douhan, and the girl.
</p>
<p>Saruhiko continued to work for about ten more minutes, then decided it had been long enough.
</p>
<p>“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” he said, unfolding himself from his chair and heading to the door.
</p>
<p>“If you’re going to Homra, then I’m coming with you,” Douhan replied, surging to her feet to follow after him. Saruhiko rolled his eyes, but held the door for her. After all, one of the reasons he was going there was to see if there was anything that could be done about their case.
</p>
<p>Outside, a light rain was misting down, light enough that it didn’t really make anything wet, but still gathering on clothes and making the air disgustingly humid. Saruhiko almost wished the rain were heavier, since as things were the weather was unpleasant in a way that couldn’t be avoided, whereas a decent drizzle could at least be combated with an umbrella. 
</p>
<p>It was a fifteen minute walk to the bar Homra, an English-style pub (complete with an imported counter) in Shizume where Saruhiko’s boyfriend and his “family” all worked in the evenings and typically spent their days loafing around at. The bar had a lazy atmosphere and an air of dignity, and Saruhiko had to admit it wasn’t the worst place to hang around. Even if he did still get nightmares from his days waiting tables there. There was a bell stationed above the door that jingled as Saruhiko and Douhan walked in, and as they entered, five heads immediately turned in their direction.
</p>
<p>“Yo,” Kusanagi greeted from his usual post at the bar, but before any of the others who’d looked up- Totsuka, Mikoto, Reisi, and Anna- could say a word, a voice all but yelled from one of the booths, “Dammit Saruhiko! Fucking warn me before you bring any ghosts in here you asshole!”
</p>
<p>Saruhiko couldn’t resist a smirk at the shout. He strode over ignoring the knowing looks of everyone present until he was leaning over the seat of the booth in question, taking in the sight of the young man slumped in the seat.
</p>
<p>“Nice to see you too, Misaki,” he greeted, earning himself a petulant scowl. 
</p>
<p>“Nice to see you my ass,” Misaki griped. “I fucking died because of you.”
</p>
<p>“Good thing I’m a medium,” Saruhiko replied easily, knowing fully well Misaki was talking about his game. Misaki made a rude gesture in response.
</p>
<p>“If you two are done with the romantic pleasantries, I think we are all quite curious as to what case you are bringing us, Fushimi-kun,” Reisi’s smooth tone cut in, and Saruhiko clicked his tongue in irritation.
</p>
<p>“What makes you think we have a case?” Saruhiko grumbled.
</p>
<p>“It’s simple deduction,” Reisi said. “Hirasaka-san only accompanies you if you come later in the evening after business hours have concluded, yet here she is rather early in the day. Not only that, but Yata-kun mentioned you bringing in a ghost, and given that you have mastered your ability, you should only drag ghosts with you if that is your intention. Of course, it is possible you brought the ghost here as a prank, but you don’t see the type to go to such efforts for such a malicious reason as scaring Yata-kun.”
</p>
<p>“He knows fully well how you figured it out,” Douhan input, walking over to a table to put her purse down and take a seat. “He just wants to complain since you got in the way of his and Yata’s exchange of sweet nothings. But yes, the ghost is our latest case, and we could use your help since Saruhiko’s magnet skills aren’t exactly going to help us do what we were asked to do.”
</p>
<p>“Which is what, exactly?” Kusanagi asked, ever the sensible one.
</p>
<p>“We were hired to find a girl,” Douhan said. “But given that she’s apparently a ghost…”
</p>
<p>“So you need to find her body then,” Kusanagi replied, nodding sadly.
</p>
<p>“We need her body found,” Douhan corrected. “If we find it, and it turns out there was foul play, we’ll end up on the list of people of interest since some killers will pretend to have ‘found’ the bodies of their victims to try and avoid suspicion. And being under police investigation would put a damper on business, so I’d rather avoid it.”
</p>
<p>“It’s scary how talking to you is like talking to a female Fushimi, only more business-oriented,” Kusanagi said under his breath. It was still audible though, and Saruhiko scowled. He and Douhan were two very different people, thank you very much. They had a few similarities, sure, but their personalities weren’t <i>that</i> similar.
</p>
<p>“May I talk to her?” Anna’s quiet voice piped up.
</p>
<p>“It’s not like you need my permission,” Saruhiko replied, nodding as Anna stepped closer to where the ghost was still stationed near the door. Saruhiko hadn’t felt the need to drag the ghost any farther into the bar from there, especially given that he didn’t want her getting too close to Misaki and taking an interest. Ghosts taking an interest in Misaki wasn’t a good thing; the redheaded medium’s ability was getting possessed, and it was something he had little control over. And while Saruhiko’s own magnetic ability was strong enough to push or pull ghosts away as necessary, it was better to avoid the struggle that might occur if he was too careless.
</p>
<p>“Hello, my name is Anna,” Anna said introducing herself to the ghost. “Is there a reason you are still here?”
</p>
<p>Only Anna heard the ghost’s reply, but Anna nodded along.
</p>
<p>“Of course we will, but you’ll need to help us. Can you tell me what happened?”
</p>
<p>As the ghost replied, Saruhiko couldn’t help but notice Misaki flinch below him. He looked down to see Misaki put a hand to his head, a slight grimace on his face.
</p>
<p>“Resonance?” Saruhiko asked lowly. Misaki nodded.
</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Misaki answered. “Just a few flashes, nothing much.”
</p>
<p>“Okay,” Saruhiko said, but still followed up with, “What was the first case I accompanied Homra on?”
</p>
<p>The question probably wasn’t necessary, but sometimes Misaki lost track of his identity somewhat when ghosts with strong feelings were around, even if they weren’t possessing him. It was an unfortunate side effect of his ability, and one which had given him grief in the past, so Saruhiko didn’t think Misaki would mind the check, even if it was unnecessary.
</p>
<p>“How the hell should I remember?” Misaki hissed. “Was it that rain ghost in the fucking vase? Or that kid who wanted to play basketball? Wait, that was after that. Um…”
</p>
<p>“Mikoto took care of it, and you stayed in the van if that helps,” Saruhiko prompted, though at this point he was reasonably certain that Misaki hadn’t resonated too closely with the ghost and still remembered who he was.
</p>
<p>“Mikoto took care of it and I stayed in the van, hmm…” Misaki murmured frowning in concentration. Then his eyes suddenly went wide, and he cried out, “Ah! Was that the fucking dog ghost? And Mikoto was giving me shit about how cute it woulda been if I’d had to get possessed, too!”
</p>
<p>“Misaki, you’re too loud,” Anna chided, and Misaki blushed as he realized he’d forgotten himself and raised his volume enough to be heard by all.
</p>
<p>“That’s ‘cuz you woulda been cute,” Mikoto insisted lazily. “You’re practically a puppy anyway, following us everywhere, having too much energy, and slobbering a lot. Though Fushimi’s the one who knows the most about that last bit.”
</p>
<p>This time when Misaki made a rude gesture, it was in Mikoto’s direction, and Saruhiko made it right along with him.
</p>
<p>“Guys, Anna’s trying to have a talk, here, remember?” Kusanagi said, a note of warning in his voice. For someone with absolutely no psychic powers who spent most of his time standing behind a bar, he sure could be scary.
</p>
<p>“No, we’re pretty much done,” Anna sighed. “She was killed, it seems, and she wants justice done. Unfortunately, the last thing she seems to remember is leaving school on the day of her death.”
</p>
<p>“She doesn’t want to remember the rest,” Misaki added.
</p>
<p>“That’s not exactly unusual though,” Reisi pointed out. “Death is not something easy to face, even for those who are no longer living. And if it was a traumatic death, even more so.”
</p>
<p>“I don’t think it’s just the death though,” Misaki murmured, too quietly for anyone but Saruhiko to hear. Misaki shrugged, then clambered to his feet.
</p>
<p>“Well from the sounds of things, we’re gonna want some of police friends along on this one,” Kusanagi said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll ring them up and see if there’s anyone who can tag along as we look into this.”
</p>
<p>“Police friends?” Saruhiko asked Misaki as Kusanagi put his phone to his ear. For the past nine months or so, Saruhiko had been working with Homra as they went about helping ghosts move on from the world to whatever was next, and not once had he met anyone from the police or even heard mention of police contacts.
</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s been a while since we had to call them, but we sometimes have to work with them,” Misaki said with his usual roundabout explanations. “Since sometimes we end up uncovering murders or finding missing people or things like that. Like this time. And well, when we deal with shit that most people can’t see or sense or anything… It’s a lot easier working with people who already know about us than dealing with random cops who are more likely to find us suspicious and arrest us rather than actually hear us out.”
</p>
<p>Now that Misaki mentioned it, Saruhiko supposed it was rather obvious that Homra would have encounters with the police every now and then, and that having inside contacts would be all but necessity for them as well. He was supposed to be intelligent, and yet he’d missed something so simple.
</p>
<p>“We’re in luck,” Kusanagi said, setting his phone down and bringing Saruhiko back to earth. “Seems Zenjo-san and Kusuhara-san are available to help us out.”
</p>
<p>“Oo, this could be interesting,” Totsuka chirped. 
</p>
<p>“Interesting how?” Douhan asked, and Saruhiko was grateful that she’d said it so that he didn’t have to.
</p>
<p>“Ah, just that Kusuhara-san’s… a bit unique,” Kusanagi explained. “He’s a medium, but also… not.”
</p>
<p>“That certainly sounds unique,” Saruhiko commented drily.
</p>
<p>“He’s a bit like a radio that’s on the fritz,” Kusanagi shrugged. “Sometimes he picks up on one channel, sometimes he’ll pick up on another, and a lot of the time he doesn’t pick up on anything at all. What abilities he has and how strong he is can vary from moment to moment, so he’s a bit unreliable. It’s one of the reasons he didn’t go into the business himself.”
</p>
<p>“And this Zenjo-san, is he a medium too?” Douhan asked.
</p>
<p>“No, he just learned the hard way that we’re legit,” Kusanagi said. “A while back he got cursed by a ghost and lost the use of his left arm. Almost lost his job over it, but then he happened to come here for a drink and Anna took care of the ghost for him. His arm was fine after that, but he still had his doubts until a few months later when we ran into him again on a case with a nasty ghost. Point is, he’s seen enough evidence to trust us, and he’s Kusuhara’s partner too, so he’s pretty understanding.”
</p>
<p>“He’s also badass,” Mikoto added.
</p>
<p>“Ah yes, I forgot that being badass was a requirement for dealing with ghosts,” Saruhiko drawled sarcastically. “After all, everyone here is…” he trailed off, pointedly looking at everyone in the bar. There was Totsuka, who looked as harmless as he actually was, which was completely. There was Anna, a delicate looking young woman just out of girlhood, and Kusanagi who was a rail-thin beanpole, and Reisi who also had that tall but thin and not particularly muscular look going for him, as well as having glasses. And then there was Misaki, who lacked both height and obvious muscles. The only one who looked anywhere near threatening was Mikoto.
</p>
<p>Of course, if you knew Homra like Saruhiko did, then you knew that, with the exception of Totsuka, any apparent weakness was deceptive. He’d seen Reisi without a shirt before, and the man had some of the nicest abs around. Misaki hid a well-toned body beneath his baggy clothes, and he’d seen Kusanagi and Anna deal with the occasional belligerent patron when Mikoto was feeling too lazy to act. So technically, yes they were a pretty “badass” bunch, but most of them weren’t likely to get described as such any time soon.
</p>
<p>“...so intimidating,” Saruhiko finally finished.
</p>
<p>“Yeah well fuck you,” Misaki grumbled.
</p>
<p>“You’re the one who’s too nervous about having sex to actually do so,” Saruhiko replied, just so he could watch Misaki flush vividly. “Though congratulations on picking up on the fact that there was an insult implied there. You may have gotten a little smarter.”
</p>
<p>“Or maybe he’s just realized that every other thing that comes out of your mouth is an insult,” Douhan cut in.
</p>
<p>“You sure it’s just every other?” Mikoto asked.
</p>
<p>“Nah, I’m pretty sure the rate of insults varies depending on how much he likes someone,” Totsuka chipped in.
</p>
<p>“Yeah, but does it go up or down the more he likes someone?” Mikoto fired back.
</p>
<p>“And this is why I don’t like people,” Saruhiko sighed. “How long until this Kusuhara-san and Zenjo-san get here?” he asked. The words were hardly out of his mouth before the bell above the door chimed again, and two men walked in. It seemed the “police friends” had arrived.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, I know I'm not much of a poet. Don't ask why I felt obligated to write/include that poem at the beginning, because I don't have an answer for you. And yes, the "cockroach thoughts" bit was likely subconsciously inspired by the song "Hate Me" by Blue October, which incidentally has a lot of lyrics that could be applied to Sarumi, but I digress.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Steps are Retraced</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as Saruhiko saw the two men who walked into the bar, he knew exactly which one was Zenjo, and which one was Kusuhara. Zenjo was a sturdily-built man with glasses and a scar across his nose, and whose expression was that of one who had seen some of the worst the world could offer and wasn’t impressed. Kusuhara on the other hand, was on the thin side, had black hair that needed a trim and while his brown eyes were serious, he still had a slight air of goofiness about him. Zenjo <i>looked</i> like a cop, and walked with the self-assurance of someone who owned who he was. Kusuhara, meanwhile, tripped over his own feet just after they got through the door, and the only thing that kept him from mopping Homra’s floor with his face was Zenjo’s arm reflexively reaching out and stabilizing him.
</p><p>“Ehehe,” Kusuhara laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Hi everyone. Pardon the intrusion.”
</p><p>“Hi hi!” Totsuka called back. There was a chorus of “yo”s and “hey”s as the rest of the team followed suit.
</p><p>“Greetings,” Zenjo said tersely.
</p><p>“Thanks for getting here so quickly,” Kusanagi said.
</p><p>“Of course!” Kusuhara replied. “People rely on the police to respond quickly in an emergency after all.”
</p><p>“Yeah, but this isn’t really an emergency,” Mikoto said.
</p><p>“But it could have been!” Kusuhara protested.
</p><p>“We were nearby,” Zenjo put in. “So what’s all this about needing to find a body?”
</p><p>“We were hired to find a girl but she’s already a ghost,” Douhan said. When Zenjo and Kusuhara focused on her, she stepped forward and extended a hand to shake. “Hirasaka Douhan, head of Ninja Private Investigation. And the gloom cloud over there who’s too busy flirting with his boyfriend and disliking people to say hi is my business partner, Fushimi Saruhiko.” She gestured towards Saruhiko and Misaki, and both officers followed her motion with their gazes.
</p><p>“Wait, when did Yata-san get a boyfriend?” Kusuhara asked, only to receive an elbow to the ribs and a mutter of “Mind your own business,” from Zenjo.
</p><p>“Nine months ago,” Reisi informed them. “And fear not, Totsuka has plenty of photographs and video footage to document the momentous occasion that was Yata-kun escaping his perpetual singledom.”
</p><p>“Hey!” Misaki protested angrily.
</p><p>“I see you’re still a jackass,” Zenjo told Reisi with a sigh. This time he was the one on the receiving end of an elbow from Kusuhara. Somehow, it seemed a lot less effective than when it had been the other way around.
</p><p>“Reikkyo just likes to poke sleeping tigers, don’t mind him,” Totsuka said. Saruhiko tried not to cringe. Just like he couldn’t seem to adjust to the name of his and Douhan’s business, he also had yet to get used to Totsuka’s ridiculous nicknames for his boyfriends, possibly because they were constantly changing.
</p><p>“So what can you tell us about this ghost of yours?” Kusuhara asked, looking between Saruhiko and Douhan. “I’m assuming one of you is a medium and got some details from her?”
</p><p>“Saruhiko brought her here and I talked to her,” Anna informed him. “He can attract and repel ghosts.”
</p><p>“Neat,” Kusuhara said, nodding appreciatively at Saruhiko. “Is the ghost still here? I’m having an off day, so I can’t tell, sorry…”
</p><p>“She is,” Misaki, Anna, and Mikoto all confirmed, while Saruhiko just nodded.
</p><p>“I also got some information from our clients, the girl’s parents,” Douhan mentioned.
</p><p>“Douhan’s information is probably more useful to you,” Anna added. “Yuzuru-chan doesn’t remember much that’s helpful.”
</p><p>“Alright, let’s hear it,” Zenjo said, nodding at Douhan.
</p><p>“We’re looking for Imai Yuzuru, 14 years of age, a second year in middle school,” Douhan rattled off. “Imai-shi attended Asagaoka Junior High and was in class 2-4. Her favorite subject was science, she was in the science club at school, and her dream was to be a chemist. She went missing eight days ago, on May 27th, and her disappearance was reported to the police the following day. Her parents believed she must be staying at a friend’s house overnight and just neglected to tell them, but when they learned she had been absent from school and found they were unable to get in touch with her, they became concerned. They are under the impression that their daughter must have run away, however they could not think of a reason as to why she might have done so, as they claim to have had a very warm relationship with their daughter. We have not yet begun inquiries with her teachers and schoolmates about when she was last seen, however, as we were hoping to get more information from an interview with the girl’s ghost than we actually did.”
</p><p>“Alright,” Zenjo nodded. He looked over at Anna, and she spoke up promptly, straightening her posture and clasping her hands behind her back.
</p><p>“Yuzuru-chan wasn’t able to tell me much, just that she was on her way home when she died, and that her death was caused by others. We’re looking at a murder or manslaughter case here.”
</p><p>“Poor girl,” Kusuhara murmured.
</p><p>“Misaki thinks she doesn’t want to remember,” Saruhiko added. “Not just her death, but something else.”
</p><p>“Is it something related to her death?” Zenjo asked.
</p><p>“I dunno,” Misaki shrugged, casting a quick glare at Saruhiko. “I would guess so, since that’s what she and Anna were talking about, but it’s not like I got a whole lot from her, and she won’t like it if I start trying to dig in deeper.”
</p><p>“I see,” Zenjo said slowly. “Well, it seems to me that the best thing to do now is to see if Kusuhara and I can get the files on the investigation into this girl’s disappearance, and base our investigations on what we find there. Does that work for everyone else?”
</p><p>“I have no objections,” Douhan replied.
</p><p>“I also see no reasons to object to the proposed actions,” Reisi agreed.
</p><p>“Then it sounds like that’s what we’ll end up doing,” Kusanagi said. “I’d recommend stepping outside while you make your calls, it can get a little loud in here.”
</p><p>“Oh we know,” Kusuhara said, grinning.
</p><p>“Actually, you don’t,” Kusanagi replied. “It’s gotten worse since the last time you were here. You can blame Fushimi for that.”
</p><p>“How is it my fault?” Saruhiko grumbled. “Misaki’s the loud one.”
</p><p>“No one wants to hear about your sex life,” Douhan said loudly.
</p><p>“What sex life?” Misaki and Saruhiko chorused reflexively.
</p><p>“Hmm, I think I see what you mean,” Kusuhara asided to Kusanagi. The sound of the bell above the door was Zenjo’s only comment.
</p><p>With Zenjo gone, Kusuhara began asking questions about how everyone had been doing, and even pried out the story of how Saruhiko had first come to Homra and how he had become a permanent fixture in their ghosthunting operations. Saruhiko tuned it out, instead nudging Misaki over so he could join him in the booth, leaning against his boyfriend with a sigh. He may have agreed to help Homra with their ghost business, but he still had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he saw no benefit in helping ghosts, especially since, once they were helped, they were gone and there was absolutely no chance of getting any sort of reward or repayment from the ghosts. But on the other hand, he did have to admit that helping them did give him a feeling of satisfaction akin to the one he got when he perfected a line of code or fixed a broken bit of technology: like something had been wrong and now it had been made right. But did that little bit of satisfaction really outweigh the danger and the trauma that came with ghosthunting? Saruhiko wasn’t so sure. And yet, given the current situation, it seemed that he, like the other mediums at Homra, was becoming someone who wouldn’t simply abandon a ghost. He was going soft.
</p><p>Misaki had died no less than four more times before Zenjo finally returned.
</p><p>“We good?” Kusuhara asked.
</p><p>“Thanks to Yoshino, yeah,” Zenjo sighed, rubbing his face with one hand. “She went ahead and did all the negotiating for me.”
</p><p>“Sounds like a real angel. Is she single?” Douhan asked.
</p><p>“Down girl,” Fushimi muttered. Douhan flipped him off.
</p><p>“So what do the investigation files have to say?” Totsuka asked.
</p><p>“Dunno, haven’t read ‘em yet,” Zenjo said, shuffling a little as if uncomfortable.
</p><p>“We got new PDAs recently,” Kusuhara explained. “You know how Zenjo-san takes a while to adjust to these things.”
</p><p>“I was just getting used to the old ones too,” Zenjo grumbled.
</p><p>“Anyway, I’ll pull up the files now,” Kusuhara said. “They were sent to both of us, right? Or do I need to sign into your email instead?”
</p><p>“You shoulda gotten it too,” Zenjo replied tiredly.
</p><p>“Oh, yup, here it is,” Kusuhara said brightly. “Give me a minute or two to look this over guys, and then I’ll let you know what it says,” he added for the benefit of the other people in the room.
</p><p>There was a lull as everyone waited for Kusuhara to finish his reading. No one seemed to want to speak or move, and even breathing seemed to take more effort as they eagerly anticipated the moment when Kusuhara would finally tell them what previous investigations had found. Eventually, Kusuhara finally put away his PDA and sighed, signaling he was done reading.
</p><p>“So the general gist of that was pretty useless,” he informed them. “Just a basic profile of the victim really. Everything you said before, though it also mentioned that she didn’t have any particular friends, but also didn’t have any particular enemies; she got along with her classmates but tended to stick to a strict schedule of either going to her club or going straight home from school. The one key thing that I saw was that she did not have a club meeting on the day she disappeared, and multiple witnesses saw her leave school shortly after classes let out. Given that her mother was home all that day, it’s safe to say that our girl ran into trouble on her way home.”
</p><p>“Did the file include the victim’s usual route home?” Zenjo asked.
</p><p>“Yeah, she walked the whole way,” Kusuhara replied. “A bit of a long walk, but apparently she claimed to like the exercise.”
</p><p>“Do you think she’d remember anything if we retraced her steps?” Totsuka asked. He said it while facing Anna, as she was the empathetic medium of the bunch, yet his eyes cut to Reisi with his ability to predict the outcome of a decision.
</p><p>“Hm, that’s an odd way of phrasing it,” Reisi mused. “I had already considered the possibility of following her route home, and saw that we would not find answers in doing so, yet if we are retracing her steps, then we will.”
</p><p>“Meaning she didn’t go home, huh?” Kusanagi asked.
</p><p>“It is possible she was waylaid,” Reisi said gravely. “Her killer may have lured her off course, or even abducted her. Alternatively, she could have met her fate while sidetracking to run an errand. Perhaps she wished to buy a new reference book or a magazine, or was craving a snack from a convenience store. I will have to consider each alternate path she could have taken as we come across it, but I do think that following her route home would be the correct course of action at this time.”
</p><p>“You’re also still long-winded,” Zenjo sighed.
</p><p>“I’m pretty sure he just likes the sound of his own voice,” Saruhiko drawled, earning himself raised eyebrows from the police officer.
</p><p>“He does have a nice voice,” Mikoto rumbled appreciatively.
</p><p>“So do you, Mikokko,” Totsuka said.
</p><p>“Indeed, very sexy,” Reisi agreed. Saruhiko, Misaki, Douhan, and even Anna all made fake gagging noises.
</p><p>“Well then, I guess we’d better get this show on the road then,” Kusanagi said loudly, sounding like a harassed mom trying to get her kids out the door for school. It wasn’t so far from the truth. “No sense in wasting time, right?”
</p><p>“Okay. We’ll meet you guys there,” Kusuhara said, either having realized that there were currently ten people present and only nine seats in Kusanagi’s van, or that the more people were in the van the more miserable it became. Or perhaps he wanted to escape from Homra. Saruhiko couldn’t blame him if he did.
</p><p>“We’ll try not to take too long,” Kusanagi promised.
</p><p>“Fat chance with your driving,” Mikoto muttered, causing Kusanagi to roll his eyes. Kusanagi’s driving was something Mikoto complained about every so often- not because Kusanagi was a bad driver, but because he didn’t drive like a bat out of hell. Almost everyone else at Homra was on Kusanagi’s side (Misaki tended to back Mikoto up because he was an idiot and a thrillseeker and far too loyal to his “brother”, but all his driving knowledge came from video games and he tended to crash a lot so his input on the matter tended to be ignored), but that never stopped Mikoto from trying to encourage the bartender to speed up more.
</p><p>For all of Mikoto’s complaints, it really didn’t take them that long to drive to their ghost’s school, which would be their starting point. Zenjo and Kusuhara had of course beaten them there, having left first, but they hadn’t been waiting all that long. Once they’d regrouped, they set out, spreading out in a long line with Reisi leading the way, accompanied by his boyfriends. Saruhiko followed after them, still dragging the ghost girl, with Misaki next to him and Anna hot on their heels so she could sense any changes in the ghost’s emotional state. Kusanagi and Douhan trailed after them, and then Zenjo and Kusuhara brought up the rear.
</p><p>They walked down the street, passing cherry trees which were almost done growing their leaves before turning onto a market street lined with stalls. At every alley and side street, they paused while Reisi considered whether there would be any benefit to detouring down that way, but each time, Reisi shook his head and they continued onward.
</p><p>Saruhiko almost didn’t notice it at first, but Misaki was frowning as they walked along, and the farther they went, the deeper the lines in his forehead got. Every now and then, he’d twitch or even flinch, and he was frequently shaking his head. It wasn’t hard to guess what the cause of Misaki’s behavior was, though, since his actions were often followed by a glance at the ghost trailing in their wake and a grimace.
</p><p>“More resonance?” Saruhiko asked lowly, leaning closer to Misaki so that the shorter man’s shoulder bumped his arm.
</p><p>“Still nothing concrete,” Misaki hissed back, his voice a little strained. “People, but I can’t see ‘em clearly or anything. Almost like looking through Anna’s eyes.”
</p><p>“Seems like a lot of grimaces for just snippets of memory,” Saruhiko commented.
</p><p>“It’s not what she saw, but what those people made her feel,” Misaki replied. “There’s… I’m not sure. It’s still so vague, y’know?”
</p><p>“Of course it’s vague,” Saruhiko responded. “Emotions are a subject of scientific uncertainty.”
</p><p>“Saruuu, feelings aren’t something you’re supposed to be all sciency about,” Misaki complained. 
</p><p>“Don’t bother trying to get into feelings with him, Yata-kun,” Douhan cautioned from behind them. “He doesn’t have a heart, so he can’t listen to it.”
</p><p>“If I don’t have a heart it’s because I gave it to him,” Saruhiko muttered quietly, suddenly fascinated by the pavement passing by beneath his feet. He made a face at how sappy he was becoming, to say things like that. Good thing Misaki was the only one who would have heard him.
</p><p>They reached the end of the street they were on and turned onto another business street, this one with eateries and shops. There were even more alleys to stop at, and their progress slowed as they waited for Reisi to deal with the increase in possibilities. 
</p><p>Reisi was just pausing to consider an alley by an arcade when Misaki suddenly hissed and put a hand to his head, staggering slightly. Before anyone could ask him what was wrong he was stumbling forward, saying in a distracted voice, “It’s this way.”
</p><p>“Are you sure?” Zenjo asked.
</p><p>“Pretty sure,” Misaki replied. “The resonance I’m getting from her is making me feel like my head’s being squeezed. She still won’t remember what happened, but she does remember that what she doesn’t remember is something really bad, and that it happened somewhere down here.”
</p><p>“She does seem to be dreading going that way,” Anna agreed. “I can ask her about it if you’d like.”
</p><p>“If you both believe that to be the case, then I don’t think it’s necessary,” Kusuhara replied. “I trust you guys. Unlike me, you’re pretty reliable.”
</p><p>“Not to mention that I do see us getting results by going that direction,” Reisi confirmed.
</p><p>“Alright then, let’s go!” Totsuka cheered. “Yay!”
</p><p>“Yay,” Mikoto, Kusanagi, and Misaki halfheartedly echoed. Saruhiko rolled his eyes.
</p><p>They set off, following the alley as it passed between dingy buildings. It did not seem the sort of place a middle school girl would dare travel, and Saruhiko had to wonder what had brought her this way. Had she been lured down here by someone with ill intentions?
</p><p>Misaki’s stumbling only got worse as they went, until Saruhiko found himself being used as an anchor to keep his boyfriend upright as he braved the waves of memories from the ghost. It made Saruhiko want to chase the ghost away, or tell Misaki to go home, but he couldn’t. Not unless Misaki failed an identity check, and when Kusanagi dutifully performed one, Misaki passed just fine. Thus they carried on.
</p><p>The alley they were in branched off into another and another, and then they met a crossroads where Misaki directed them to the left. A little further on, Misaki suddenly stopped in front of an old door with a broken chain meant to hold it shut.
</p><p>“This is it,” Misaki said, his voice tight. “Her secret place. She liked to do experiments here.”
</p><p>“What kind of experiments?” Totsuka asked, intrigued.
</p><p>“Dunno, physics maybe? Or wait, no, I mean the one with acids and shit. Chemicology or whatever,” Misaki replied.
</p><p>“I think home schooling you was probably a bad idea,” Mikoto commented. “Pretty sure even an elementary schooler could have told you that’s chemistry.”
</p><p>“Nah, I think his brain’s just been scrambled by too many ghosts,” Saruhiko drawled, because one of the few things he agreed with Mikoto about was that teasing Misaki was fun. “All those possession’s can’t be good for one’s IQ.”
</p><p>“Up yours,” Misaki grunted.
</p><p>“Sure thing, but let’s go somewhere private first,” Saruhiko replied, waggling his eyebrows.
</p><p>“Guys, case. Focus,” Douhan interrupted. Saruhiko sighed, but he kept his mouth shut and obediently followed the others inside once the door was opened.
</p><p>They found themselves in an empty warehouse, with a large, wide-open floor with some old rusted shelves pushed up against the walls. There were a few beakers of mystery substances on some of the more stable looking shelves, but for the most part, the place was empty. As far as secret labs went, it certainly didn’t look like much.
</p><p>They had barely taken a few steps into the room when Misaki suddenly went pale, made a strange noise in his throat, and suddenly sagged against the closest person, who happened to be Zenjo. The bulky cop managed to catch Misaki before he fell, supporting him as he gasped for breath.
</p><p>“Oh, he died,” Mikoto said. It took a moment for the meaning to sink in, but when it did, Saruhiko really wished he had sent either the ghost or Misaki elsewhere. He knew Misaki had experienced the deaths of ghosts plenty of times in the past thanks to his ability, but he still didn’t like for his boyfriend to experience that. Not to mention he couldn’t help but worry that one of these days, experiencing death second-hand might actually kill Misaki if it was traumatic enough. Like how some people claimed that if you had a dream of falling infinitely, if you hit the ground before you woke up the shock would be enough to kill you.
</p><p>“So this is probably where she died then?” Kusuhara asked as Misaki shook himself and straightened, standing on his own again.
</p><p>“Not probably, it is,” Reisi said, kneeling down. “It’s slight, but there are still traces of dried blood.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Kusuhara Does a Thing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning: This chapter contains mentions of bullying.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before anyone even thought to ask her, Douhan was already getting to work, crouching down and reaching out to rest her fingertips on the floor, her eyes closed as she used her psychometry to learn what she could. Saruhiko saw Kusuhara opening his mouth to ask what she was doing, and quickly shushed him, since Douhan, like most people, tended to work better when she wasn’t distracted.
</p><p>Douhan didn’t move for almost a full minute, meaning that most likely the memories this place held were not particularly strong, or that there were multiple strong memories that were clashing, making it hard for her to interpret them. When she finally opened her eyes, her expression was unreadable- not that Douhan’s usual face was particularly expressive, particularly if you didn’t know her- but she had on her most stoic poker face, which Saruhiko knew meant she was feeling upset. Not surprising, if she’d just belatedly witnessed a murder.
</p><p>“We’re looking for four girls,” Douhan said. “High schoolers. The type that try to be cool by being apathetic and smoking cigarettes. And apparently bullying their kouhai.”
</p><p>“Your favorite type,” Saruhiko drawled sarcastically. Girls like that had been part of the reason he and Douhan had united as allies and eventual friends, after all. While the girls tended to target Douhan more as a fellow girl, they’d also enjoyed spreading rumors that Saruhiko was gay, not realizing that it was the truth and that he wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it.
</p><p>Douhan hummed in a half-assed acknowledgment, and continued with her report.
</p><p>“From what I can tell, they followed her here to make fun of her, things got physical, and one particular shove caused her to fall and hit her head in just the wrong way. The blood is because some glass got broken and she got cut a little bit on that. Since then, it seems like they’ve been getting rid of things bit by bit, first her body, then all the materials she had stored here.”
</p><p>“No wonder you’re a PI,” Zenjo commented. “Got any names for us?”
</p><p>“I’m not sure how much ‘Yuicchi’, ‘Manyan’, and ‘Keikkei’ will help, but one seemed to be named Shiemi,” Douhan replied. “I didn’t recognize their school uniforms, but I would think it’s someplace nearby.”
</p><p>“If you could recognize the uniforms on sight, then I think we can manage this,” Kusuhara said. “Once we find them, I’m sure Anna-chan can ask them nicely where they took the body and maybe even get a confession out of them, and we can wrap this up quickly.”
</p><p>“But I wonder if that will truly be enough,” Reisi mused, talking to himself but at a volume where everyone could hear.
</p><p>“How so?” Kusanagi asked.
</p><p>“Earlier, Anna said the ghost wants justice done, did she not?” Reisi asked.
</p><p>“Ah,” Totsuka breathed, and Saruhiko understood what Reisi was getting at. As did everyone else present, most likely. When ghosts wanted justice done, proper legal proceedings were often dissatisfactory to them. They preferred the “Code of Hammurabi” sort of justice: an eye for an eye and whatnot. Many dangerous hauntings were caused by ghosts who felt that they had been dealt injustice- whether in life or in death- and were trying to settle the score in their own way. As such, if the ghost they were trying to appease was seeking justice, she might not be satisfied simply seeing her killers go to jail: she might want revenge.
</p><p>“Given what we know, we can probably proceed without the ghost’s input from now on, right?” Kusuhara suggested. “After all… Hirasaka-san, was it? Hirasaka-san can identify the killers for us, so do we really need to keep the ghost around?”
</p><p>“He’s right,” Anna agreed. “Unless Reisi has any objections, I think you should let her go, Saruhiko. I’m sure she’d prefer to get back to her tie.”
</p><p>“But it’s not like she’ll know we caught her killers if she goes back,” Saruhiko pointed out.
</p><p>“Well given that she came into the office with her parents, they’re probably what she’s attached to, right?” Douhan replied. “If her body is found, the police will of course inform her parents of the situation, so won’t she find out that way? And if that’s not enough to send her on, you can just lure her away again and then you guys can do your medium stuff and that will be that.”
</p><p>“Hirasaka-kun certainly makes a good point,” Reisi agreed. “I see no reasons why we need to keep the ghost with us, so I do believe you can release her, Fushimi-kun.”
</p><p>“If you say so,” Saruhiko replied, but it wasn’t like he had any objections to letting go of the ghost. After all, using his ability did build up extra muscle tension, and while it wasn’t the most inconvenient side effect (especially not when compared to what the other mediums went through when they overused their abilities), he was more than happy to avoid it. With an ease that still awed him even after months of being able to use his ability freely, he switched “modes” so that instead of pulling on the ghost to keep her with their group, he was repelling her lightly so that, whichever direction she needed to go to return to her tie, she wouldn’t end up getting close to Misaki. 
</p><p>With the ghost gone, they turned to the next matter of business, which was looking up high schools in the area. There were four that were within twenty minutes’ walking distance, but luckily enough, all four schools had websites. And of course the websites had photos of the students around campus as well as pages detailing school dress code, which included pictures of the uniforms. Within five minutes, Douhan had already identified which school the perpetrators attended.
</p><p>“So what now?” Kusanagi asked. “Last I checked, schools didn’t exactly hand out student information, and it’s not like you guys can use psychometry as grounds for a warrant, right?”
</p><p>“I could always get the records,” Saruhiko mumbled under his breath.
</p><p>“We’re working with cops, Fushimi,” Kusanagi said, rolling his eyes. “Extra-legal methods should not be used.”
</p><p>“I just said I could, not that I would,” Saruhiko replied.
</p><p>“All the same, don’t,” the bartender ordered.
</p><p>“We’ll just pretend we didn’t hear any of that,” Kusuhara informed them.
</p><p>“Much obliged, I’m sure,” Saruhiko drawled.
</p><p>“Stop antagonizing them,” Douhan huffed. “If you get yourself arrested and I have to bail you out, it’s coming out of your paycheck.”
</p><p>“Which is why Misaki would bail me out,” Saruhiko said, latching onto his boyfriend.
</p><p>“Huh? Wha-?” Misaki sputtered, eyes wide with confusion. “Why do I gotta pay?”
</p><p>“Would you rather I rot in a prison cell? How cruel, Misaki,” Fushimi said with as much mock injury as he could muster. Which was barely any at all, but who cared? He was perfectly fine with his lack of acting skills, as it was a nice concrete difference between him and the man who had been his father. <i>That man</i> had never stopped acting, liar that he was.
</p><p>“Interesting how we seem to just be assuming that Saru-kun’s going to get himself arrested at this point,” Totsuka commented.
</p><p>“Well if we go skulking around a high school looking for female students, then we’re liable to all get arrested,” Saruhiko pointed out. “Not just me.”
</p><p>“Which is most ironic given that most of us are in committed relationships with other male persons,” Reisi input. “And while I cannot necessarily speak for everyone else, I for one am most satisfied with my current relationship.”
</p><p>“Hell yeah,” Mikoto seconded.
</p><p>“Awww, I love you guys too,” Totsuka chipped in.
</p><p>“And there they go again,” Misaki commented, wrinkling his nose.
</p><p>“We should be happy for them,” Anna said.
</p><p>“I’d be happier for them if they weren’t so quick to share too much information,” Saruhiko told her, and Misaki nodded heartily in agreement.
</p><p>“Even with new faces in the group, nothing’s changed with you guys,” Kusuhara commented, shaking his head fondly.
</p><p>“Still as unfocused as ever,” Zenjo agreed with a nod, sounding resigned.
</p><p>“Well if we wait a bit longer, those girls will probably come back,” Douhan pointed out. “There’s still some of the victim’s items around, and I do believe they intended to make this their own hang-out spot.”
</p><p>“The fuck?” Mikoto asked.
</p><p>“That is quite callous,” Reisi agreed. “But I do believe it may be the key to finishing up this business so perhaps it is for the best.”
</p><p>“I know you’re trying to be pragmatic, but saying it’s a good thing people are sometimes evil sounds a little messed up,” Kusuhara commented.
</p><p>“Well ‘course it does when you put it like that,” Mikoto growled, crossing his arms and glaring.
</p><p>“It’s not like Munakata hasn’t always been that way,” Zenjo reminded tiredly.
</p><p>“It’s not that I am glad of their callousness, do not misunderstand,” Reisi corrected. “Ideally, we would live in a just world where there would be none who feel the need to succumb to the darker aspects of human nature. But we do not live in such a world, so we have to make the best of the one we do live in.”
</p><p>It was all Saruhiko could do not to scoff at that. In his opinion, there were things one simply couldn’t make the best of. Like growing up with an abusive father and negligent mother. Or getting killed by some bullies who then proceeded to opportunistically destroy your special place and your dreams, all so they could have a hideout to smoke in or whatever those girls wanted to do. 
</p><p>“True that,” Totsuka said, agreeing with Reisi, because he was a loyal boyfriend and because he was an optimist who believed in that sort of shit. Which was all well and good for him- it even made him resistant to ghosts despite having no medium powers of his own- but happy thoughts didn’t lift anyone into the air and they sure as hell didn’t put food on the table.
</p><p>“So is everyone okay with waiting here?” Kusanagi asked. “I can do a quick snack run if anyone needs anything.”
</p><p>“It shouldn’t be a long wait, I think,” Reisi assured him.
</p><p>“She’s not leaving,” Anna suddenly said.
</p><p>“Who?” Totsuka asked.
</p><p>“Yuzuru-chan,” Anna replied.
</p><p>Saruhiko automatically closed his eyes, sensing for the ghost. He wasn’t as sensitive to ghosts as Anna was- he doubted anyone was, since her degree of sensitivity hadn’t exactly occurred naturally- but sure enough, he could still feel the ghost directly above them, hovering just above the building.
</p><p>“She’s waiting,” Misaki said, looking straight up as if he’d be able to see the ghost, despite the fact that the roof was between her and them.
</p><p>“For what?” Saruhiko answered. Connecting with ghosts really wasn’t his thing. Putting aside the facts that it was a lot more emotion than he liked dealing with and that it didn’t really fit well with his psychic skill set, it had lost all appeal to him after the fact that his first time connecting with a ghost had ended rather traumatically. As a result, he left that sort of stuff to Misaki and Anna. Mikoto did too, so Saruhiko didn’t see any need to try and push past his inhibitions on the subject.
</p><p>“For-” Misaki began, but then a door on the far side creaked open, and the air went icy cold. It was like ice entering Saruhiko’s lungs, and it made him feel breathless as he gasped out puffs of condensation.
</p><p>Four teenage girls walked in, laughing and joking around without a care in the world, but they stopped in their tracks, possibly because of the cold, possibly because of the group that was already inside the building.
</p><p>“Don’t!” Misaki shouted, lunging forward towards the girls, though it was hard to tell if he was talking to them or to the ghost that was arrowing towards them, suddenly radiating malignance. Saruhiko had no doubt that these girls were the killers of the ghost.
</p><p>It was one of those moments where even the non-Sighted could see the ghost perfectly, apparent in the fact that all eyes were on her. One of the teens dropped her bag, while another fell to her knees and a third was quaking violently. All three of their faces were screwed up with terror that was probably ruining their thick makeup. Only the fourth girl stayed calm, looking at the ghost with dull eyes as she tried to be cool, but Saruhiko could see the bead of sweat on her forehead, the slight tremor of her lips.
</p><p>A hand suddenly clapped onto Saruhiko’s shoulder, and an instant later, a rope of power lassoed the ghost, dragging her back. But it wasn’t Saruhiko’s doing, nor was it his power. It was someone else, using the same ability.
</p><p>For a second, bile rose in Saruhiko’s throat. Niki.
</p><p><i>That man</i> had used the same ability as Saruhiko. He was the only other person Saruhiko had known with that ability. But it was impossible that it was Niki who was standing next to him, so Saruhiko reluctantly turned his head, looking at the person who had stopped the ghost.
</p><p>Kusuhara.
</p><p>Saruhiko almost sighed in relief at the sight of the officer, his eyes closed and scrunched tight, his face twitching a little as he concentrated on holding back the ghost. Ahead of them, Misaki stumbled to a halt, though Saruhiko had to wonder how exactly Misaki had been planning on intervening, since all he could do was get possessed and getting possessed didn’t seem like it would help at the moment. In fact, judging by the way the ghost had gone on the attack like that, it seemed more likely to make things worse. 
</p><p>“Wh-what the hell is going on?” the girl who had dropped her bag warbled, trying to sound tough but failing miserably.
</p><p><i>“Don’t leave, we need to talk to you,”</i> Anna ordered, her voice binding the girls to her will. Misaki automatically dropped back, hovering near Anna in case she needed a little extra energy to help her get all the information they needed.
</p><p>“What about?” asked the girl who had managed to look mostly calm.
</p><p>“We’re looking into the disappearance of Imai Yuzuru,” Zenjo said, flashing his badge. “We have reason to believe that she is dead, and that this is where she died. Would you know anything about that?”
</p><p>“Who?” the girl replied, not even missing a beat. But there was just the slightest bit of recognition in her eyes, and the other three girls at her sides weren’t so good at containing their reactions. One went pale (well, pal<i>er</i>), another gasped lightly, and the eyes of the final girl began darting around, looking for the exits that Anna’s power wouldn’t allow her to escape through. They just about reeked of guilt.
</p><p>“Her,” Zenjo said, pointing up to where the ghost was still frozen in place, her enraged gaze locked onto the four teenagers below. “Though she looked a bit different in life. My partner can get a picture for you if you want.”
</p><p>“No need, we’ve never seen her before,” the “brave” girl replied, tossing her hair. 
</p><p>“Y-yeah, why would we know a loser like that?” another girl piped up.
</p><p><i>“Don’t lie to us,”</i> Anna commanded.
</p><p>“It was her fault!” shrieked the girl who had fallen to her knees. “She deserved what she got, betraying us like that!”
</p><p>“And how exactly did she betray you?” Mikoto rumbled, and the speaker squeaked.
</p><p>“She was supposed to be the fifth member of our club in middle school!” another girl blurted out. “She promised Manyan that when she entered middle school, she would help us start a cosmology club, but then she bailed on us to join the stupid science club!”
</p><p>“It’s not like we really wanted her around, she was too geeky,” argued the girl who had dropped her bag.
</p><p>“Yeah but we couldn’t have an actual club without a fifth member, and the only person who even talked to us about the club was some guy who seemed to think we were like, an astrology club or something,” countered the previous speaker.
</p><p>“Probably because cosmology is the study of the cosmos, or outer space,” Reisi informed them in his usual unfathomable tones. “Cosmetology, on the other hand, would be about cosmetics, or makeup.”
</p><p>“I told you we shoulda just been the makeup club,” sulked the fallen girl.
</p><p>“Shut up, then we woulda sounded like we were a club for people who had to retake exams they failed,” scoffed Dropped Bag.
</p><p>“Whatever, point is, she let us down, we made sure to get back at her,” Brave said. “It’s not like we did anything wrong. We were just teaching her a lesson.”
</p><p>“By stealing her stuff, calling her names, and pushing her around?” Misaki asked coldly. “Or how about the time you guys stuck thumbtacks in her shoes?”
</p><p>“Ugh, talk about unoriginal,” Douhan commented.
</p><p>“That was all Keikkei!” Shaky Knees insisted.
</p><p>“Are you kidding me?” Dropped Bag hissed. “It was Yuicchi’s idea, not mine!”
</p><p>“Yeah but you’re the one who emptied out your lighter on her PE uniform!” retorted Fallen.
</p><p>“Yeah but Manyan told me to!” Dropped Bag, aka Keikkei, whined.
</p><p>“But Shiemi’s the one who said she had to be punished!” shrilled Shaky Knees.
</p><p>“It doesn’t matter who started it at this point,” Zenjo interrupted. “Imai Yuzuru is dead, and you four are the perpetrators. It doesn’t matter who did what exactly, you are all complicit in her murder.”
</p><p>“It was an accident!” Brave cried, finally breaking down. “There was no way we could’ve known she would hit her head and die like that! It could have happened to anyone, so it’s not fair to pin it on us! We didn’t mean it!”
</p><p>“Yeah well, she doesn’t give a shit,” Misaki told them, crossing his arms. “All she cares about is that she’s dead, and it’s your fault. And she wants you to pay for that. Like you said, just making sure you learn your lesson, right?”
</p><p>“Yata-chan, I think you’re resonating with her a bit much,” Kusanagi warned.
</p><p>“Let him, these bitches have the gall to bully a girl to death and then act all innocent, they deserve a few harsh words,” Saruhiko snapped. 
</p><p>“No, he’s right, things are starting to blur between me and her,” Misaki sighed, uncrossing his arms to put a hand to his head. “Probably because I fucking hate bullies too.”
</p><p>“Join the club,” Douhan muttered.
</p><p>“Oh, we have a club now?” Totsuka asked, all sunshine and good feelings. “Should I order us some jackets? What name should I put on them, Bully Bitch Destruction Squad? Or maybe something a bit more alliterative would sound better…”
</p><p>Saruhiko couldn’t help smirking at that. While Totsuka was excessively positive most of the time, every now and then he would manage to be dark while still maintaining a cheerful exterior, like a sun shining bright at an angle that cast large, dark shadows. Those moments were fleeting, but Saruhiko tended to appreciate them since otherwise Totsuka would be so disgustingly nice as to be unbearable.
</p><p>“What the fuck is wrong with you people?” Shaky Knees- presumably Manyan- asked.
</p><p>“More than you really want to know,” Kusanagi sighed, shaking his head. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, we’d like to know what you did with this poor girl’s body. Keep in mind that you’re going to end up telling us no matter what, so please just cooperate.”
</p><p>“And actually, if you could be quick about it?” Kusuhara requested. “I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this ghost back. I think I’m starting to fade already…”
</p><p>“I guess that’s my cue to stop slacking,” Saruhiko muttered. Rolling his shoulders, he reached out his power to the ghost, wrapping it around her and then drawing her back, away from the four girls. “Don’t relax too much,” he called out as the girls all sighed with relief. “Medium powers can be very unstable, you never know when she’ll break free.” It was a lie- he had total control- but if it kept the girls on edge then fine by him. Personally, he thought it would serve the girls right to sic the ghost on them, but given the presence of the two police officers that really wasn’t acceptable. Sure they couldn’t exactly charge him with aiding and abetting in a ghost’s violence, but depending on what the ghost did, he could theoretically be charged with the ghost’s crimes in its stead. 
</p><p>“Alright, now that we’ve got that under control, body?” Kusanagi reminded.
</p><p>“Why do you care?” Shiemi huffed.
</p><p>“Because we’re decent fucking human beings,” Mikoto rumbled in his version of a “duh” voice.
</p><p>“And because we have clients who asked us to find their daughter,” Douhan added. “Though since you’ve already killed her, they’ll have to settle for the next best thing, paltry consolation though it is.”
</p><p>“Well for my partner and I, since we’re police officers it’s kinda our job to care about this,” Kusuhara input, jumping on whatever explanation train the others had started.
</p><p>“Which is exactly why there’s no reason for us to tell you, you’ll just arrest us!” Keikkei argued shrilly.
</p><p>“Please,” Anna said, and with that one word the mood in that warehouse seemed to shift. Gone was the belligerence that had infected them all, and it was hard to be sure if the ghost had been affecting them and Anna had broken its spell, or if they’d all been in the process of caving in to their darker feelings and Anna had somehow drawn out their better natures, possibly with her empathy. “What if it was you? Wouldn’t you want your families to know? Wouldn’t you want to be laid to rest?”
</p><p>Yes, Anna was definitely using her empathy, and maybe a light touch of her persuasion. Saruhiko could feel it now, the gentle feeling of Anna’s warmth reaching out to them all, cajoling them to listen to her. It was a pleasant feeling, and that’s what made his skin crawl. Such insidiousness shouldn’t be so appealing.
</p><p>“The sewer,” Yuicchi said. “There’s a grate nearby. We were able to pry it up and push her down.”
</p><p>“Yui!” the other three girls screeched. Yuicchi just shrugged.
</p><p>“Thank you,” Anna said, much less sarcastically than the rest of them likely would have. 
</p><p>“Alright, I’ll confirm the body, Kusuhara, you handle things here,” Zenjo ordered.
</p><p>“We’ll help too,” Kusanagi said, gesturing to indicate himself, Mikoto, and Misaki.
</p><p>“I’ll come too,” Reisi said. “In case you have any difficulties.”
</p><p>“You expectin’ any?” Mikoto asked.
</p><p>“I do believe there was a strong rainfall two days ago,” Reisi said in lieu of a proper answer.
</p><p>The five men left, and the girls began eyeing the exit again, probably fancying their odds to be much better given that only Kusuhara, Totsuka, Saruhiko, Douhan, and Anna were left. It made Saruhiko want to laugh, especially when Anna pointedly cleared her throat and stared the girls down with a steely gaze and the girls all flinched. Yeah, they wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, not with Anna on the job. 
</p><p>While they waited, Anna began soothing the ghost. At first it seemed unnecessary to Saruhiko, since he wasn’t about to lose his grasp on the ghost, but as Anna promised that justice would be done once the ghost’s body had been found, he realized that she was thinking about the future. After all, they needed the ghost to be satisfied with the arrest of her killers.
</p><p>It was blatantly obvious when the girl’s body was found half an hour later. The ghost shuddered, and suddenly her appearance changed. She still looked the same, but lighter somehow, in a way that made Saruhiko certain that she was no longer visible to those without Sight. Apparently Anna’s soothing had worked. The ghost remained docile as the rest of the group returned and Zenjo began the arrest formalities, while Kusuhara called for backup. Soon enough, the girls were being shepherded into the back of a police van, and Saruhiko was finally able to let the ghost girl go, sensing it no longer cared about its killers. It wouldn’t disappear yet, but he suspected the ghost wouldn’t be staying around much longer either. Even he could tell that all the ghost wanted now was to say her goodbyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Clients are Informed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: Grief, learning of the death of a loved one. This might be especially painful given the timing of things, so I apologize, but based on the comments I saw for the last chapter, it seemed better to give a little more closure to this case before moving on to the next (which <i>should</i> be more lighthearted).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Normally after a case, Saruhiko stuck around the bar for a while, spending time with Misaki and making sure his boyfriend wasn’t suffering any adverse effects from being around ghosts. Admittedly, most of the time Misaki was fine, but even now it was a bit hard for Saruhiko to simply say he wanted to be around Misaki. Especially when he’d be saying as much in front of other people; people who could- and <i>would</i>- tease him for it. 
</p><p>On this occasion, however, Saruhiko felt the need to return to the office with Douhan. Part of it was because, as a friend (he still wasn’t used to using that word), he supposed he ought to be there when she told their clients about their daughter’s death. That whole “being supportive” whatever. But also, Kusuhara had asked if he could meet them at their office, and given that he’d specified he wanted to see them both, Saruhiko figured he was expected to show up as well. It was annoying, but that was life.
</p><p>Outside, the light rain from earlier had not only cleared up, but the sun was now shining low in its arc across the sky. Unfortunately, the humidity remained. Some might say it was like the sun had come out now that the killers had been arrested, but Saruhiko didn’t buy into such things. The weather didn’t give a damn about what sorts of goings-on occurred with humanity. Besides, in an urban area like they lived in, at any given moment there was almost a guarantee that there were people nearby experiencing something great just as there were people experiencing something tragic or upsetting. Sometimes the two things might even coincide, as with the results of a sports match. Point is: it was impossible for the weather to cater to the moods of people.
</p><p>“So,” Douhan began.
</p><p>“Don’t,” Saruhiko retorted, knowing all too well that she was trying to lead into a conversation about him not staying at the bar. If he was lucky, she’d just tell him he need not come along. But more likely she’d try to be sympathetic, or worse, want to talk about feelings, and no, he did not want to go there.
</p><p>“If you say so,” she replied, shrugging him off. 
</p><p>When they arrived at their office building, Kusuhara was already there, waiting for them outside. It was all Saruhiko could do not to groan, because the officer stood out a bit much in his uniform. 
</p><p>“He better not affect our business standing there like that,” Douhan murmured, echoing Saruhiko’s thoughts. “He looks like he’s waiting to arrest someone.”
</p><p>“Let’s hope they assume it’s you and not me,” Saruhiko replied, earning himself an annoyed snort and a light elbow to the side.
</p><p>“Hey guys!” Kusuhara greeted, oblivious to the sheer cynicism walking towards him.
</p><p>“Officer Kusuhara,” Douhan greeted formally with a slight inclination of her head. Saruhiko just hummed his disinterest. For a moment, the three of them stood around awkwardly, until Douhan took matters into her own hands, adding, “Our office is upstairs. Shall we?”
</p><p>The three of them went up to the office, and Douhan unlocked the door and let them in.
</p><p>“I’ll need to call our clients,” Douhan informed Kusuhara as Saruhiko claimed his usual seat at his desk. “I know the police would likely inform them, but I’d like to get paid for this job.”
</p><p>“Of course,” Kusuhara said. As Douhan took her own chair, Kusuhara grabbed a chair they had for clients, pulling it over closer to where Saruhiko was sitting. Saruhiko clicked his tongue, annoyed at having to be social.
</p><p>“I’m surprised you aren’t a part of Homra, with your talents,” Kusuhara said without preamble.
</p><p>“I am,” Saruhiko replied. “I help them with cases, I just don’t work at the bar anymore, since I hate customer service.”
</p><p>“Oh really?” Kusuhara asked. “That must be difficult to balance.”
</p><p>“Not really.” Saruhiko shrugged. “My hours are flexible, and besides, Douhan knows what’s going on. But couldn’t the same be said of you? I know Kusanagi said your ability is unreliable, but it seems to me that an unreliable ability would be all the more reason to be at the bar. After all, that’s what got <i>me</i> involved with them in the first place.”
</p><p>“Hm, I suppose you have a point, but it’s not really the same for me as it is for you guys, is it?” Kusuhara mused. “I mean, I’m mostly latent, after all.”
</p><p>“Meaning what?” Saruhiko queried.
</p><p>“Well, you know Anna-chan’s explanation of medium abilities, right?” Kusuhara asked, tilting his head to the side. “About the barriers that mediums are missing?”
</p><p>Saruhiko nodded to show that yes, he knew about that.
</p><p>“Right, well, for me, none of them are actually missing, it’s more that I’ve got ripples,” Kusuhara explained. “At least, that’s what Anna-chan says. According to her, I’ve got this ghostly energy inside me, and it makes ripples in some of my barriers, though apparently there’s some that are never affected. But sometimes, when the ripples are big enough, the barriers that are rippling get spread real thin and holes develop, which is how I get an ability. What makes the ripples big depends on all sorts of things: the usual stuff like diet, sleep, mental state, sickness, injuries, et cetera, but also environmental factors like the weather, psychic residue, air quality… I don’t even know what all can affect me.”
</p><p>“So your use of the same ability as me earlier, was that because of the ghost, or because I was there?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“Hm, neither I think?” Kusuhara said it like a question. “I mean, it’s possible those two things did factor in, but it’s hard to say. I just knew at that moment that I could stop her, and that it would be easier to do so if I had your energy to guide me. That’s how it is with me. When I’m active, I just kinda know.”
</p><p>“I’d say that’s interesting, but then I’d sound like Reisi,” Saruhiko commented.
</p><p>“Haha, yeah, he’s really fascinated by medium abilities, isn’t he?” Kusuhara laughed. “Though to be honest, I’m kinda grateful for it, since it kinda helped me out. I mean, yeah Anna-chan was able to tell me a bit, but even for her it was a bit hard since I’m so off-and-on and all, so having Reisi around asking questions that made me think about my ability in ways I’d never considered before was really useful. And actually, some of his questions even gave Anna-chan things to think about as well.”
</p><p>“Such as…?” Saruhiko prompted.
</p><p>“Well, the difference between medium and psychic abilities, for one,” Kusuhara said. “Apparently even though Anna-chan can still sense psychics and whatnot, she can’t see any barriers missing on them. But I’ve had psychic abilities before, just as often as medium abilities, which would mean that they do have the missing barriers still, right?”
</p><p>“Now there’s a scary thought,” Douhan said, suddenly joining their conversation. “That I might have something in common with this guy? Ugh.” She jerked a thumb at Saruhiko to show who she meant.
</p><p>“Fuck you, bitch,” Saruhiko said flatly without venom.
</p><p>“Yeah yeah, I hate you too,” Douhan responded just as dispassionately. “Also, clients should be here in about half an hour. I figured I should warn you now so you’ll almost be able act like a human being by the time they arrive.”
</p><p>“Thanks, but since the coffee pot’s empty, that might be a bit much to hope for,” Saruhiko replied, nodding to the coffee maker they kept in the office, which was indeed empty since they always threw out whatever was in it when they left the office.
</p><p>“True,” Douhan acknowledged with a nod.
</p><p>“So you’re a psychic then?” Kusuhara asked Douhan once it was apparent that the two friends were done with their side conversation. “I mean, I’d guessed as much based on what you did at the warehouse, but…”
</p><p>“I use psychometry, of a sort,” Douhan explained. “I can get memories and feelings off of objects and places.”
</p><p>“Hm, sounds a bit like Yata-kun’s resonance, only with inanimate things,” Kusuhara murmured. 
</p><p>“Please tell me you are not trying to say that this thing is anything like my Misaki,” Saruhiko said, glancing side-eye at Douhan and wrinkling his nose in distaste. 
</p><p>“Ew, when you say it like that it sounds utterly revolting,” Douhan shuddered.
</p><p>“Well you have to admit, it does seem similar, doesn’t it?” Kusuhara insisted. “He resonates with people and ghosts, and gets their memories from them. You resonate with objects and places and get memories from them. It’s similar, right?”
</p><p>“I suppose,” Douhan muttered. 
</p><p>“Anyway, that psychometry of yours sounds like it could be really useful,” Kusuhara said. “Have you ever considered joining the police force? Or at least doing consultations?”
</p><p>“Sure, if you pay me,” Douhan said.
</p><p>“Well, yeah, that’s a-” Kusuhara began, but Saruhiko interrupted him by clearing his throat.
</p><p>“Trust me, you can’t afford her prices,” Saruhiko warned him. “The money alone is bad enough, but she’ll also suck your soul dry if you aren’t careful.”
</p><p>“Oh, you have two abilities?” Kusuhara asked curiously. 
</p><p>“No, just a rotten personality,” Saruhiko snorted.
</p><p>“Like you’re any better,” Douhan said, rolling her eyes.
</p><p>From there, the subject drifted elsewhere, meandering idly from this to that until their clients arrived. The Imai family came in all together, Karen and Sakuya huffing and puffing from breath in their hurry to arrive and get news of their daughter, while said daughter drifted unseen behind them, watching her parents with a lost look on her face.
</p><p>“Sorry it… took… so long,” Sakuya panted. “Weren’t… ex- expecting any… any news… yet.”
</p><p>“Did you find her?” Karen gasped eagerly. “Did you find… Yuzuru?”
</p><p>“Mr. and Mrs. Imai, please come with me,” Douhan said. She led the couple to a small conference room at the back of their office which was typically used for clients seeking their services on particularly delicate matters. Kusuhara was already waiting there, and Saruhiko followed after locking the front door as a precaution against anyone who might try to sneak into the unattended front part of their office. In the conference room, everyone sat down, though the Imai’s kept shooting curious looks at Kusuhara.
</p><p>“Mr. and Mrs. Imai, this is Officer Kusuhara from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department,” Douhan informed them. “He and his partner helped us with our search for your daughter, and we were able to find something.”
</p><p>“Yes?” the parents asked- begged, really- leaning forward desperately. Behind them, the ghost gazed intently at the two PIs and the officer, though Saruhiko couldn’t tell if she was trying to deter them from giving the news or begging them to hurry up and get it over with.
</p><p>“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we believe your daughter is dead,” Douhan said gently. It was a tone Saruhiko had never heard from her before, and it was a little alarming to see a side of his friend that he didn’t know. Karen gasped while Sakuya began shaking his head, his hands reaching up towards his ears like he was trying to block out the horrific words. The ghost, meanwhile, turned its gaze on the couple, observing their reactions. “Our investigation led us to some former schoolmates of your daughter, who confessed to bullying her, accidentally killing her, and hiding her body.”
</p><p>“There must be a mistake, Yuzuru isn’t being bullied!” Sakuya insisted, a little anger in his voice.
</p><p>“Children often don’t tell their parents when they are being bullied,” Saruhiko said bluntly. “The bullies make them feel weak and pathetic, and that’s a side they don’t want to show their parents. Not to mention that when adults get involved things tend to get messy. The only way you could have helped would be by transferring her to a different school, and that would have felt like running away, only reinforcing those feelings of weakness and being pathetic. She probably felt like she couldn’t tell you.” If Misaki had been there, he would have been able to explain the ghost’s reasoning for sure, but Saruhiko could only use conjecture. However, based on his first-hand experience with bullies, he felt confident that he wasn’t far from the truth. That, and the ghost was nodding along with his words.
</p><p>“Our department will of course check the fingerprints and the dental records of the body we found,” Kusuhara said. “But I would also like to ask you to come and see for yourself. I know it’s a lot to ask, but this is our procedure. And as painful as it is, sometimes it is necessary for you to see with your own eyes.”
</p><p>“But- but Yuzuru was such a nice girl!” Karen blubbered. “Why would anyone kill her?”
</p><p>“As I said, the perpetrators claim the death was accidental,” Douhan explained. “They pushed her and she fell down and hit her head on cement. As for the bullying, they held a grudge over a schoolyard disagreement. What happened to your daughter was not right, and it certainly wasn’t fair. I’m really sorry we couldn’t bring you better news.”
</p><p>“No,” Sakuya said firmly. “I still think there’s a mistake. Our Yuzuru has such a bright future. She’s going to do great things someday.” Next to him, his wife let out a sob.
</p><p>“I’m sure she would have,” Douhan said sadly. “But that future was stolen from her. All the things she might have done will have to be done by someone else now.”
</p><p>“But-!” Sakuya began angrily,  and the ghost moved in front of him, hands up and mouth moving soundlessly as it tried to placate the man, but it had no effect. Instead, what stopped Sakuya was Kusuhara, who interrupted him.
</p><p>“Sir, no matter how much you deny it, your daughter is gone. I know it’s hard to accept- I can’t even begin to imagine how much you must be hurting right now or how horrifying this news is to you, but I know this isn’t easy for you. But you need to let go now. Whatever you believe, surely you understand that clinging to the belief that your daughter is alive will only cause suffering. The dead do not come back. All you can do now is give your daughter- and yourselves- peace.”
</p><p>“We just-” Karen began, her voice choked. “We wanted… Yuzuru just made us so proud. We were so excited about her future… She was still so <i>young</i>.”
</p><p>“Are you sure she’s gone?” her husband rasped. “It’s just so hard to believe. I mean, Yuzuru being bullied, and killed... Could we have prevented this? If we’d only done something differently, would she still be alive? Was there- was there something we failed to do as parents?”
</p><p>“Your daughter’s death does not reflect on your parenting skills,” Kusuhara said firmly. “As Fushimi-san said earlier, children often hide it from their parents when they are being bullied. It is not your fault you did not notice, and, again, as he pointed out, there would have been very little you could have done. I’m sure your daughter wouldn’t fault you for what happened to her; if anything, she’d be saddened by your guilt, since it is misplaced.”
</p><p>“It might be a poor consolation, but there are services out there to help you deal with this grief you’re feeling,” Douhan said softly. “Some cater specifically to bereaved parents such as yourselves. I don’t have the information immediately on hand, but looking them up for you would be the least we could do. They will be there for you as you go through the rough times ahead of you.”
</p><p>“Thank you, I think we’ll need that,” Karen sniffled. “I thought we’d be raising Yuzuru for another few years, so for her to just die so suddenly, I don’t know what we’ll do now.” Sakuya nodded vacantly beside her.
</p><p>“Alright, we’ll look that up for you,” Douhan said gently. 
</p><p>“Actually, we do have plenty of brochures regarding grief counseling back at the station,” Kusuhara chimed in.
</p><p>“Oh, right, you wanted us to identify the body,” Sakuya said, his voice hollow. “I guess we should do that. Make it real, like you said. Maybe say goodbye…”
</p><p>The couple got to their feet, moving in stiff, jerky movements as if they were poorly programmed robots. They looked much older than they had when they’d entered the office, and when Kusuhara joined them as they exited the room, his presence just seemed to emphasize their clumsy movements with his fluid youth. Douhan went next, and Saruhiko started to follow, only to realize the ghost hadn’t moved. He turned back and saw the ghost still hovering by the spot where the couple had been seated and looking at the empty chairs, half of its body hidden by the table. Saruhiko cleared his throat, causing the ghost to startle and look up at him. Seeing him watching, the ghost smiled sadly, before bowing in gratitude. Straightening, the ghost cast a glance towards the doorway the couple had retreated through and tried to wave, but the motion was aborted as the ghost’s fingers curled in and the hand was drawn towards the ghost’s chest. Its entire body spoke of hesitance and reluctance, but with a grimace of determination, the ghost turned and took a step forward, vanishing. Saruhiko didn’t think all the ghost’s wishes had been truly satisfied, but if the ghost had decided on its own to move on, he wasn’t about to protest. He bowed his head slightly towards the spot where the ghost had vanished, acknowledging that he had witnessed the ghost’s absolution. The idiots at Homra would insist on gestures like that, after all.
</p><p>By the time Saruhiko joined everyone else in the main office, Karen was shelling out payment for his and Douhan’s work. It felt wrong somehow, accepting the money, but they had rendered their service as promised, so Saruhiko didn’t say a word of protest, and neither did Douhan. 
</p><p>After the couple and Kusuhara had left, Douhan and Saruhiko spent a somber moment standing in silence, before Douhan broke it.
</p><p>“So the ghost, did she…?” Douhan asked. Saruhiko nodded. “I guess that’s good,” Douhan murmured. “At the very least it means I don’t lose you for another day while you help track her down and send her on. Anyway, Seri texted me earlier about getting drinks tonight, wanna come with?”
</p><p>“Where at?” Saruhiko asked suspiciously. This could easily be Douhan’s attempt to try and get some new blackmail material on him.
</p><p>“I’m not sure, not your bar though,” Douhan said.
</p><p>“In that case, why not,” Saruhiko agreed, relieved to know that Douhan didn’t seem to be up to something. If she had suggested Homra, he would have been out, since that would be a definite recipe for disaster. She would almost definitely have found some way to get Misaki involved and make things embarrassing, and it would not be a good time. But if it was just him and Douhan and Douhan’s roommate, then that should be fine. Probably.
</p><p>The two of them left together, following directions on Douhan’s phone to a bar with a sleek and trendy interior, nothing like the aged wood and slightly rugged warmth of Homra. It was near the hospital that Awashima worked from, however, so Saruhiko could understand the choice, even if he found himself comparing the two locales and finding this one to be lacking. And no, it wasn’t just because this one was missing all the faces that belonged at Homra.
</p><p>Awashima met them inside, already waiting for them at a small round metal table with a shined surface. She already had a cocktail in front of her, and was scooping out bean paste from a container and adding it to her drink.
</p><p>“Hello you two,” she greeted. “It’s been a while, Saruhiko,” she added.
</p><p>“‘Lo,” Saruhiko replied.
</p><p>“So how was your day?” Douhan asked, slipping into one of the open seats and snagging the drink menu to peruse it.
</p><p>“Oh, the usual,” Awashima replied, laughing humorlessly. “Way more bodily fluids than I ever want to think about, lots of screaming and crying, all the fun that typically comes with this EMT life.”
</p><p>“You’re really selling your job there,” Saruhiko commented, taking the seat next to Douhan’s and leaning over so he could read the menu too.
</p><p>“I thought you didn’t like drinking,” Douhan commented.
</p><p>“It’s not that bad,” Awashima said, refuting Saruhiko. “It can be very rewarding at times. And at least no one died on me today.”
</p><p>“Which is more than we can say,” Saruhiko told her. “And which is why I could use a drink tonight,” he added to Douhan. “One. A small one. With low alcohol content. And some sort of decent flavor.”
</p><p>“If you’re going to make me order for you, then why even try reading the menu?” Douhan muttered.
</p><p>“So I can be sure you don’t pull any fast ones and order something gross for me,” Saruhiko replied.
</p><p>“Would you like me to order for you instead?” Awashima offered. Both Saruhiko and Douhan cast pointed looks at the glass in front of Awashima with its monstrosity of a cocktail, and she smiled ruefully in understanding. After a year or so of living together, Douhan had finally managed to impress on her roommate the fact that not everyone liked bean paste as much as she did. Or rather, <i>no one</i> liked bean paste as much as she did. “Point taken.”
</p><p>“Hm, based on your tastes I’d say Irish coffee, a coffee old fashioned, or this Kahlua coffee soda thing,” Douhan said.
</p><p>“Last one,” Saruhiko replied.
</p><p>“Got it,” Douhan said, and went to the bar to order. While they waited for her to return, Saruhiko and Awashima made small talk, discussing the cat the two women had adopted together, and whose name was still contested. Awashima insisted the cat ought to be called Manjuu, because somehow the cat’s appearance reminded her of that particular food, while Douhan asserted that the cat’s true name was Kunai. Saruhiko thought both names were equally ridiculous, but he knew better than to say anything since otherwise the women would want to hear his choice so they could ridicule it. 
</p><p>Eventually Douhan returned, plopping Saruhiko’s drink down in front of him and sliding back into her seat gracefully, sipping at her own drink happily.
</p><p>“So what happened today?” Awashima asked, because it was rare that Saruhiko joined the two women when they went for drinks and even more rare that he actually drank with them. Or rather, drank alcohol, since sometimes he would order sodas. Saruhiko grunted, leaving it to Douhan to explain. Not that this response surprised anyone- it was why Awashima had waited for Douhan’s return to ask in the first place.
</p><p>As Douhan recounted their day’s adventure, Awashima listened silently, nodding to show she was listening. By the end of the tale, her eyes were filled with the same mix of sadness and anger that Saruhiko himself felt, and Douhan probably felt too.
</p><p>“It’s disgusting,” Saruhiko said once Douhan finished. “They killed a girl, and for what? Because she didn’t want to waste her time with a club she wasn’t interested when she could instead join a club that aligned with her goals? Talk about petty.”
</p><p>“And when the king of pettiness is saying that, you know it’s bad,” Douhan interjected. Saruhiko rolled his eyes.
</p><p>“I don’t think Fushimi-kun is as terrible as he’d like for people to believe,” Awashima said. “I’m not really surprised he’s angry over this. Honestly, even just hearing about it secondhand makes me angry too. Unfortunately, some people are like that, and there’s not much that can be done about them. I’m just glad you were able to help the ghost fulfill her desires in the end. You did well, you two, helping her get her justice and say her final goodbyes.”
</p><p>“Speaking of her final goodbyes, I should thank you,” Douhan informed Awashima.
</p><p>“Oh?” Awashima asked.
</p><p>“You gave me advice before,” Douhan clarified. “On how to give people bad news. When I asked, it was more about how to tell a client that his wife hadn’t been abducted but had instead ran away with the mailman, but it certainly came in handy today.”
</p><p>“I’m glad my advice helped,” Awashima responded, smiling.
</p><p>“Ran away with a mailman?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“It was before you joined me,” Douhan told him. “Would you like to hear about it?”
</p><p>The rest of the evening was spent exchanging stories. Douhan talked about some of her old clients, Saruhiko shared a few of his and Homra’s ghost encounters, and Awashima told them about some of her coworkers’ mishaps since she couldn’t talk about patients for confidentiality purposes. The case still left a bitter taste in their mouths, but when mixed with the alcohol and their casual conversation, it began to fade, and Saruhiko was glad he’d agreed to join the two women.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Ghosts Like Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So although this chapter is meant to be a more lighthearted one, I belatedly realized as I was editing that, in light of certain current events, namely COVID-19, it might actually hit a little close to home for some readers. To be perfectly clear, there is no COVID in this, and no real long-term health risks, but I figured I ought to throw a warning out there because it might be a bit of a sensitive topic for some. Mental health is important (so is physical health, but I can't help you with that).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Of course Saruhiko was waist-deep (metaphorically, that is) in work when he got a text from Homra’s group chat about a case. It wasn’t their first one since the collaboration with the police- since then they’d gone to have a word with a golfer ghost who kept moving people's balls, threatened a ghost who was stalking her ex-boyfriend, eaten cookies made by a deceased pastry chef, and more- but it was the first case in a while that had been referred to them by the person who had gotten Saruhiko involved with Homra.
</p><p>Isana Yashiro, or Shiro, was an onmyouji who had grown up alongside Anna, Mikoto, and Misaki, and was considered family to them. He sometimes tagged along on Homra’s cases, and they’d sometimes tag along on his- actions that could be driven by amusement just as easily as necessity. Recently things had been quiet with Shiro, since he’d spent a while visiting family members in Germany. In fact, this was the first Saruhiko was hearing about Shiro’s return.
</p><p>The text contained a location along with the caption “this one’s no good for me. please and thank you!” Typical Shiro. He was a useful guy to have around, or at least his two shikigami were, but he had an inclination towards being irresponsible that made him a bit hard to deal with.
</p><p>A quick search into the location Shiro had sent showed that it was a graveyard, an unfamiliar one in another town. Saruhiko definitely wouldn’t be getting there today. He sent a reply saying that he was too busy and wouldn’t be able to show up until tomorrow at the earliest. Hopefully the case wouldn’t be an emergency, and the others would wait for him. He didn’t like the idea of them taking a case without him. For one thing, he knew Misaki would still go and inevitably get into trouble, because Misaki was an idiot and even if the others had years more experience at protecting the redhead, it was Saruhiko’s job now and he didn’t trust others to do his work for him. Furthermore, it just wouldn’t be right for them to take a case without Saruhiko. He was part of their “team” or whatever after all. If he had to suffer through all the annoyances of their team spirit, then there was no way he was going to miss out on actually being there when the team was in action. They’d dragged him into their group, so they had better not dare to abandon him now.
</p><p>A few minutes later Kusanagi also replied to the text, asking Shiro to stop by the bar and give more information about the case. Good, that meant they wouldn’t go without Saruhiko. Not to mention that any case Shiro couldn’t handle was nothing to sneeze at. Saruhiko silently thanked the bartender, since any of the others probably wouldn’t think twice of walking blind into a dangerous situation, but at least they had Kusanagi to think ahead.
</p><p>Unfortunately, not a minute later, Saruhiko’s phone was chiming again, alerting him to another text from Shiro saying, “not much to explain, you’ll see once you get there.” It was followed by another message adding, “it’s not dangerous, tho. just a bit tricky.”
</p><p>Somehow, that didn’t instill all that much faith in Saruhiko. He didn’t think he was looking forward to whatever mess this case would put them in.
</p><p>The next afternoon found Saruhiko driving down a bumpy road on his way to meet up with the rest of the team. He could feel a headache forming, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the sheer amount of potholes in the road he was on or if it was from his irritation with Shiro, but he was willing to bet it was one of the above. And of course, given the case ahead of them, it was unlikely that he’d feel better any time soon.
</p><p>To top it all off, Saruhiko could feel his sinuses beginning to clog. Was he catching a cold again? He used to get sick a lot in the past, partly due to terrible sleeping and eating habits, however given that he now had a naggy boyfriend and didn’t have quite so many nightmares about <i>that man</i>, it had been a while since he’d been sick. Perhaps he was overdue. How annoying.
</p><p>Saruhiko was finally able to pull off the poorly maintained road and into a parking lot which was occupied by only one other vehicle: Kusanagi’s van. The lack of other vehicles was a bit odd, though Saruhiko supposed that maybe whatever ghostly activity was going on had alarmed the groundskeepers enough that they’d closed off the graveyard for the time being. Whatever, not his problem.
</p><p>Saruhiko parked and got out of his car, wondering if the lack of idiots standing around the van meant they’d gotten impatient and hadn’t waited for his arrival. He wasn’t even late though. Before he could start fuming too much about the rudeness of his colleagues, however, one of the back doors to the van slid open a few inches, and a hand poked out to wave him over. Clicking his tongue, Saruhiko skulked over to the van, reluctantly climbing in and finding the entire crew seated there. Mikoto had stolen Kusanagi’s sunglasses for whatever reason, Reisi had a handkerchief pressed to his face, and Anna and Misaki both looked positively gray. Perhaps they too were getting sick; in fact, they might even be the reason Saruhiko was getting sick himself.
</p><p>“So?” Saruhiko asked, because he didn’t like waiting for everyone else to beat around the bush.
</p><p>“Flowers,” Anna replied. Not for the first time, Saruhiko silently vowed to teach the girl how to give proper explanations to things.
</p><p>“What Anna means,” Reisi clarified, “is that it would seem we are dealing with a ghost who has been growing special flowers.” 
</p><p>“And just what is so problematic about that?” Saruhiko asked testily.
</p><p>“They’re not normal flowers,” Misaki informed him, because Misaki usually was the one who got around to explaining things. Saruhiko wasn’t sure if it was because Misaki was too straightforward to be as roundabout as the others, or if it was because Misaki just understood Saruhiko’s impatience better, but that was how it tended to be. “They’re releasing stuff. Like pollen, only it affects everyone, ‘specially people with ghost energy.”
</p><p>“So us?” Saruhiko asked. Misaki nodded.
</p><p>“And ghosts,” Misaki added.
</p><p>“You should be feeling symptoms similar to hay fever,” Reisi informed Saruhiko. “As well as a dulled sixth sense. Do be careful, you may even find you have trouble controlling your ability due to the influence of the ghost pollen.”
</p><p>“You’re kidding, right,” Saruhiko deadpanned. ‘A bit tricky’ his ass. The next time he saw Shiro, he was going to drop kick him back to Germany. 
</p><p>“Unfortunately no,” Kusanagi said, his voice rather stuffy. “No wonder Shiro sent this our way, there’s no way Kuroh and Neko would be able to stand this place.”
</p><p>“Indeed, the effects of this pollen could even be enough to sever their contract,” Reisi agreed.
</p><p>“That might actually be kind of cool,” Totsuka mused hoarsely. “If we got to see him summon them back and form a new contract, that is. How often do you get to see a real onmyouji binding shikigami to himself? Especially ones with such a unique bond as those three have.”
</p><p>“Fascinating, I’m sure, but are we just going to sit in this van all day or actually do something about this case?” Saruhiko asked. There was a collective groan from the rest of the van’s occupants.
</p><p>“You do realize that right now the van’s wards are protecting us from that stuff don’t you?” Kusanagi asked. “Out there, it’ll get worse with every step we take towards the epicenter of this mess. Can you blame us for not wanting to jump straight in?”
</p><p>“Plus we hadta wait for you,” Mikoto growled from the back seat.
</p><p>“How terrible for you,” Saruhiko drawled back sarcastically. Mikoto had named himself “King of Naps” at some point in the past, and he took the title very seriously. Waiting was rarely a problem for him.
</p><p>As soon as they started to pile out of the van, Saruhiko’s head throbbed, making him suddenly aware of the fact that his headache had, without him noticing, receded while inside the vehicle. He grit his teeth, but otherwise refrained from showing any reactions, not wanting to hear any “I told you so”s or have Misaki worry over him. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t had worse headaches plenty of times in the past.
</p><p>The group crossed the parking lot and entered the graveyard through a decorative arch that had to be some sort of standard graveyard entrance thing. It was wrought iron, a fact that became painfully clear when Saruhiko’s headache once again increased intensity and his head began to feel heavy- iron tended to have a damper effect on ghosts. He instantly was on his guard, looking around for whatever damned ghost was causing all this, and its special flowers, but all he saw were some tiny blooms about the size of peas scattered across the ground which couldn’t possibly be the source of such a miserable pollen output. If things felt this bad when they weren’t even near the flowers in question, no wonder the others had been waiting in the van.
</p><p>“I don’t suppose going back to grab some of the van’s charms will help make this more bearable?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“If we move the charms, there might be holes,” Anna replied. Saruhiko clicked his tongue. The various charms in the van were all there for the sole purpose of warding the vehicle against ghosts, particularly any ghosts that might take an interest in Misaki. He wasn’t about to risk his boyfriend just to have less of a headache; he may not have been the nicest person, but even he had morals.
</p><p>“Not ta mention charms can only do so much,” Mikoto added. “A strong enough ghost can rip through ‘em, or even work around ‘em. That’s why we have so many of ‘em.”
</p><p>“You doing okay Saru?” Misaki asked, and Saruhiko internally kicked himself for showing any weakness. Partly because it went against everything he’d been taught growing up, and partly because of course Misaki would notice and get concerned, since the redhead was always hyper-aware of the wellbeing or lack thereof of the people he cared about. Misaki should worry more about himself instead.
</p><p>Saruhiko snorted, trying to cover up his mistake. “Oh, I’m fine,” he drawled. “I just got dragged away from the comfort of my desk and coffee mug, all to deal with some idiot ghost that likes flowers.” He tried his best to be his usual sarcastic self, and it seemed to work, but Misaki still had a slight crease in his brow, and Saruhiko didn’t think it was from ghost-induced discomfort. Damn, his boyfriend knew him too well. Unless it was just Misaki being a worrywart or maybe even being disappointed over Saruhiko’s general disregard for ghosts. “Let’s just hurry up and get this over with,” Saruhiko finished.
</p><p>“It won’t be very easy, I’m afraid,” Reisi said. “The pollen seems to be affecting my ability, so I cannot advise you. We will be walking blind.”
</p><p>“‘S’not just you,” Mikoto grumbled. “That pollen’s gonna be giving hell to all of us. ‘S stuffin’ up my nose, both literally and sixth-sense-like. ‘F we’re not careful, it could cause problems.”
</p><p>“Ooo, exciting!” Totsuka enthused, because of course he would manage to be chipper even in a miserable situation like this. 
</p><p>“Except exciting isn’t always a good thing,” Kusanagi pointed out. “There’s no shame in backing out, guys. If we need to turn back, just speak up.” No one said anything, and he sighed. “In that case, I guess we should keep going.”
</p><p>“Okay,” Anna said, nodding. Then, for no apparent reason, she added, “Everyone, be careful when you sneeze.”
</p><p>“Did I hear that right?” Saruhiko asked Misaki. “Did she really just warn us about sneezing?”
</p><p>“Uh, yeah?” Misaki said, confusion clear in his tone. “I mean, it is kinda dangerous with the pollen and all.”
</p><p>“Right,” Saruhiko replied, still highly skeptical. Yes, the other mediums from Homra had a lot more knowledge and experience with the ghostly than Saruhiko did, but he’d been around plenty of ghosts by now and never before had there been any additional concerns about <i>sneezing</i>. Perhaps Anna just meant that the pollen in the air could potentially cause them to be overcome by sneezing fits, which could be annoying and inconvenient.
</p><p>As they walked, the small flowers that Saruhiko had seen near the gate started appearing with more regularity, growing in patches and clusters. Not only that, but they seemed to be growing larger as the group progressed, so that Saruhiko could see them more clearly, and realized that these were, in fact, the very flowers that were causing the problem. The flowers were obviously not natural. They had white petals that resembled a daylily, but in the center of each flower and at the end of each petal there were orbs like the head of a dandelion ready to seed. The color of the orbs varied from flower to flower, though they were all in brightly pale tones that looked like they would glow in the dark. 
</p><p>Around the time the flowers had grown so that they were almost the size of an adult human’s head, the effects of the pollen began to become more apparent, as Anna began to sway dangerously as she walked, wobbling so much it was a wonder she was managing to stay upright. Saruhiko supposed it was only natural for Anna to be the first to struggle, given her extra sensitivity to ghosts, but it was still worrisome.
</p><p>The next person to be affected was Mikoto, though at first Saruhiko thought the man was just being lazy. His movements became slower and slower, but, when Saruhiko looked closer, Mikoto was moving with much deliberation, as if walking against a strong wind or wading through deep water. Or rather, like he was having to wade through the psychic residue of the graveyard. 
</p><p>The real trouble started when the flowers had reached the size of a large dog, when they all started sneezing at once and the meaning behind Anna’s warning became apparent. Even without the effects it had on the mediums, it was chaotic. Totsuka was struggling to keep his camera steady, while Kusanagi was doubled over, his face hidden in one arm. Reisi managed to daintily sneeze into his handkerchief, which only solidified the theory Saruhiko had slowly been building up over the past year that Reisi wasn’t human. He’d once heard a medium from another group called Scepter 4 claim Reisi was an alien, and while Saruhiko’s instinct was to scoff at such claims, he might actually believe it in Reisi’s case. It was actually one of the more logical and therefore plausible explanations after all.
</p><p>For the mediums in the group, however, the sneezing was much worse. Mikoto’s first sneeze caused him to hit his head on what was apparently thin air, causing him to stagger backwards. Anna simply fell over, eyes clenched shut and hands pressed over her ears. 
</p><p>And worst of all, Misaki sneezed himself out of his own body.
</p><p>Actually no, scratch that, Saruhiko hadn’t noticed it at first, but the worst thing of all was that when he himself sneezed, he’d apparently lost control of his ability and switched into “draw” mode, because suddenly ghosts were flocking towards them as if they were standing on an airport slide-walk.
</p><p>“Misaki!” Saruhiko managed to choke out, but the shorter medium was already jumping back into his body, and as soon as he was in it Mikoto hoisted him up over a shoulder. It was clear just how dire a situation they were in that Misaki didn’t even protest the treatment. 
</p><p>Saruhiko sneezed again, and suddenly the effect was reversed, and all the ghosts were fleeing just as quickly as they’d been coming. Saruhiko wasn’t sure whether to sigh with relief that the ghosts were no longer closing on, or to groan at the realization that there was a good chance he would switch “modes” every time he sneezed. It was a scary thought, even without the tickle that was already threatening.
</p><p>“Everything alright?” Totsuka asked.
</p><p>“Just losin’ control of our abilities, that’s all,” Mikoto replied. “Though if it gets any worse I might not be able to keep going. The residue in graveyards is pretty thick, and right now it’s tangible to me. It’s kinda like wading through lube.”
</p><p>“Migodo, young ears,” Kusanagi warned- his voice becoming stuffed up to the point that his speech was affected- before being wracked by another sneeze. But strangely enough, the only sound that was heard as the bartender doubled over was a high pitched peep.
</p><p>“Wait, was that a-” Saruhiko began to ask, only to have multiple hands clap over his mouth. Reisi and Totsuka had both lunged to stop his question, and even Misaki had escaped from Mikoto for the purpose of stopping him. However, it didn’t stop Kusanagi from giving Saruhiko a death glare from where he was still hunched over. Oh dear. It seemed that was a sensitive topic for the man.
</p><p>The thing about Kusanagi was that, despite being fairly easygoing and rational, there were a select few things that he did not tolerate being messed with. His bar, for one. To insult the bar Homra was to sign your own death warrant as far as Kusanagi was concerned. You just didn’t do it. If you did, Kusanagi would become the ten scariest people you knew in zero seconds flat. And now, apparently, it would seem that his sneezes were another land mine.
</p><p>“You godd somedig to say?” the bartender asked darkly, with such venom that Saruhiko could almost feel his blood curdling. He carefully shook off the restraining hands to answer.
</p><p>“No, sorry, I was just checking if you’d only sneezed, or if something worse had happened,” Saruhiko bullshitted. It seemed to be the right thing to say, since the three guys around him relaxed marginally. “You seemed to have been under great duress, it was concerning.”
</p><p>“Yeah, well don’d stard beig a nice guy on my aggoun’,” Kusanagi growled back. He turned away, and Reisi and Totsuka backed off.
</p><p>“Dude, don’t <i>ever</i> comment on Kusanagi-san’s sneezes, he hates it,” Misaki hissed. “Apparently they’re like, super strong, no matter how they sound, and he finds it really annoying that people call his sneezes cute when he says they feel anything but.”
</p><p>“Got it,” Saruhiko mumbled back. A second later, Mikoto finally arrived at their side and reclaimed Misaki before he could lose his body again.
</p><p>Needless to say, progress was slow after that. Mikoto could only move at a snail’s pace, Anna had to be carried piggyback by Reisi, all of them were still being plagued by sneezes, and every ten seconds or so Saruhiko kept switching modes outside of his control so that they were either being swarmed by ghosts or the ghosts were fleeing. In the moments when the ghosts were near, Anna would tilt her head, nodding a little as she listened to what the ghosts were saying. She kept fiddling with two red marbles in her hand, objects that contained some of her power and could be used to help protect non-mediums, or to focus her power in extreme circumstances. 
</p><p>Finally, they came to what was doubtlessly the epicenter of this sinus shitshow. In the middle of an undiscerning row of gravestones, there was a veritable tower of the flowers, with blossoms the size of horses. On one particularly large blossom, the ghost of a man sat, arms crossed and a rather self-satisfied expression on his face. He was the sort of person who made you want to punch him in the face after a single glance. A large ring of other ghosts surrounded the tower from a distance, all of them glaring and occasionally sneezing. 
</p><p>As they reached where the edge of the ring would be if Saruhiko’s power weren’t shoving the ghosts around, it became apparent why the ghosts weren’t going in. Mikoto tried to step inside and bounced back, unable to continue because the ghostly pollen was too thick. The rest of them were able to enter, though Misaki immediately lunged back out when his spirit tried to stay behind as well. As for the rest of the group, Reisi, Totsuka, and Kusanagi were all peering around, squinting at the distant line of ghosts as if they could See something there for once, while Saruhiko began to hear a sound like far-off whispers. He could just barely make out words here and there, but it was all unintelligible. Only Anna seemed unaffected, but Saruhiko doubted that was truly the case. 
</p><p>Their slightly smaller posse arrived at the foot of the tower of flowers, and came to a halt. The ghost on the blossom jumped down to face them, and all of a sudden, all the whispering stopped. Silence reigned. 
</p><p>“Welcome!” Despite the enthusiasm Saruhiko could hear in the voice, it was so quiet and paper-thin he almost thought he’d imagined it. “It’s so good of you to come visit!”
</p><p>“You need to stop,” Anna said, her voice shaking just a little bit. She was clenching a marble in each hand. “You’re bothering everyone here with your flowers.”
</p><p>“Nonsense,” the paper-voice replied. “I’m just brightening up the place a bit.”
</p><p>“You’ve given them hay fever,” Anna said. “It’s very difficult for them to be around the flowers. You’ve even prevented some of them from moving on like they should have.”
</p><p>“But those flowers are all I have anymore!” the ghost argued. “No one leaves me any these days. No one comes to visit me anymore. It’s so lonely!”
</p><p>“But that’s good, isn’t it?” Anna soothed. “Life has to go on, even after someone else dies. It’d be too sad if they didn’t move on. Let them rest, just as they are trying to let you.”
</p><p>Saruhiko was tempted to point out that it could also mean that anyone who might have visited the ghost was already dead themselves, but he didn’t think that would really help at this point. Normally Anna would be using her persuasion right about now, but she wasn’t, and Saruhiko didn’t think it was out of kindness or anything. More likely she couldn’t due to the effects of the pollen. 
</p><p>“But the graveyard is so dreary,” the ghost whined.
</p><p>“That doesn’t mean you have to go overboard with the flowers,” Saruhiko couldn’t help but mutter. All eyes turned on him. Oops. “I’m just saying,” he grumbled. “Wanting a bit more than grass and gravestones doesn’t mean you have to spread flowers everywhere and have oversized blooms and make a tower or anything.”
</p><p>“Saruhiko’s right,” Anna agreed, thankfully retaking the figurative spotlight. “If you had less flowers, the others might not be so angry. Or if you got rid of the pollen they release, so that they don’t make everyone sick and miserable.”
</p><p>“But I can keep my flowers?” the ghost asked hopefully.
</p><p>“Some,” Anna agreed. “But you have to keep them under control, and you can’t let them bother the other ghosts.”
</p><p>“Okay,” the ghost nodded eagerly, giving way surprisingly easily for someone who had caused such a bother over something so small. Immediately the flowers began to recede. The blooms shrank, some disappearing entirely while others compressed down to more normal flower sizes, so that the blossoms ranged from ping-pong ball sized to just a bit larger than a tennis ball. The pollen didn’t immediately vanish, but all the same, Saruhiko could tell it was dispersing by the way his head began to feel a little different. His sixth sense was still “clogged”, but he could pick out the presences of his fellow mediums now. He hadn’t noticed the lack of their “lights” in his mind, but now that they reappeared their former absence was greatly disturbing. It was almost like he’d been going around with a bunch of moving mannequins or walking corpses. It was good to have the reassurance that his friends were real, and to feel the warmth of Misaki’s sun-like existence. “Is this good?”
</p><p>“Yes,” Anna nodded. “I’m sure everyone will appreciate the change. And if you’re lonely, try talking to them. Some of them are probably feeling lonely too. Just make sure you apologize for inconveniencing them first.”
</p><p>The ghost nodded and spoke again, but with the lessening pollen, Saruhiko could no longer hear it.
</p><p>“If you promise to keep the flowers under control, then of course we’d like to visit you,” Anna said, and Saruhiko fought to keep a straight face. Anna wasn’t seriously promising to come back here was she? “The pollen bothers us too, you see,” Anna continued. “If you get rid of it, we'll be sure to come by, but for now, we need to go. Until next time.”
</p><p>There was much less sneezing on the way back to the parking lot; in fact, after the first minute or so of walking, there was none at all. Saruhiko’s headache was stubbornly sticking around, but otherwise their symptoms were quickly dissipating. Anna was walking more steadily, Misaki didn’t have to be held in his body by Mikoto, and the ghosts were moving more naturally. All in all, it looked like their mission had been a success, however miserable it had been.
</p><p>Back at the parking lot, Mikoto finally removed Kusanagi’s sunglasses, wiping reddened eyes as he returned the tinted spectacles to their rightful owner. Saruhiko had to bite back a remark about Mikoto’s apparent vanity in wanting to hide watering eyes. 
</p><p>“My, that was most unpleasant,” Reisi stated.
</p><p>“That’s for fucking sure,” Misaki muttered.
</p><p>“Well look on the bright side, at least he didn’t give us too much trouble, right?” Totsuka chirped. “Plus I checked the viewfinder on the camera as it was rolling and it definitely captured the ghosts this time, so we definitely got some good footage this time. Ah, if only all cases were so visible.”
</p><p>“It was only visible ‘cuz of all that pollen making it easy to See,” Mikoto grumbled. “Pain in the ass if you ask me. It was like trying to walk through a brick wall.”
</p><p>“Aw Mikko, don’t be like that,” Totsuka soothed. “Think of it like training! It was like wearing ankle weights in a way, don’t you think? Plus you had to carry Yata-chan. Think of what a good workout that was for you.”
</p><p>“Hmph,” Mikoto said, but he did look marginally less annoyed.
</p><p>“Well, if we’re done here, I’d like to go home now,” Saruhiko drawled. “I have a date with some aspirin.”
</p><p>“Cheating on Yata-kun are you? Tsk tsk,” Reisi mock-chided.
</p><p>“Fuck off, that’s not what he meant,” Yata huffed.
</p><p>“Besides, two-timing would be too much effort,” Saruhiko added. “Though now that I think about it, Misaki causes headaches while aspirin gets rid of them. Maybe I should rethink my choice of partners.”
</p><p>“You’re a dick,” Misaki muttered.
</p><p>“You say that, but it doesn’t seem to bother you,” Saruhiko teased. All the same, he did reach out for Misaki’s hand to give it a light squeeze, just to make sure Misaki knew he was just joking around. 
</p><p>“Hey Fushimi, didn’t you say you wanted to go home?” Kusanagi pointed out.
</p><p>“Perhaps he wants to take Misaki with him,” Anna said. 
</p><p>Saruhiko clicked his tongue. Reisi was the one who’d waylaid him. He would have been gone by now if it weren't for the annoying psychic.
</p><p>Though taking Misaki home with him did seem like a nice idea…
</p><p>But not today. Today, he had a headache, and just wanted to take something for it and maybe take a nap.
</p><p>Still, maybe he should consider inviting Misaki over some time in the future.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>aslkgbjkgjgnal this chapter feels so abrupt. Sorry.<br/>In case anyone read this and thought Kusanagi's sneezes seemed implausible, I am here to tell you that I was 100% projecting there. I used to have sneezes like that, and it was really tiresome how often people stopped mid-sentence to comment. So many times. And they almost always compared the sound to a mouse, but if a mouse sneezed like I do it would become the next ghost Homra had to deal with. There's no way a mouse could survive that kind of force. Heck, I barely survive it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Reisi is Happy to Volunteer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Good news!: Here's a new chapter in an actually timely fashion for once.<br/>Bad News: Things are gonna get dark again.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were just coming back from a case at a public swimming pool when they found Officers Kusuhara and Zenjou waiting for them at the bar. The two officers waited while Kusanagi unlocked the bar and let everyone inside, joining everyone as they all found seats inside the bar.
</p><p>“Unlike you lot to take a day off,” Zenjou commented, having noticed their wet hair and the bags containing their towels and used swimwear.
</p><p>“We didn’t,” Kusanagi explained. “There was a ghost. Apparently that girl who drowned while skinny dipping a couple years ago decided she didn’t like being the only one naked. We had to convince her to stop stripping pool-goers.”
</p><p>“Oh, so <i>that’s</i> why there have been so many public nudity cases recently,” Kusuhara said. “It’s not really our beat, so we’d only heard the rumors, but I suppose it probably would have come to us sooner or later if there’s a ghost.”
</p><p>“Was,” Anna corrected. “She got embarrassed when she realized we could see her and moved on.”
</p><p>“Sounds like an easy one at least,” Kusuhara mused.
</p><p>“Yeah but the hard ones are more fun,” Totsuka sulked. He was rather miffed they’d banned him from bringing his camera, but it hadn’t really seemed appropriate given the nature of the case. Not to mention his camera wasn’t waterproof and they’d been at a pool…
</p><p>“Well we think we’ve got one which might be more fun than you really want,” Zenjou informed him. 
</p><p>Saruhiko, who’d been in a rather good mood given that he’d gotten to spend his early afternoon watching his shirtless boyfriend splash around in a pool, felt a feeling of dread wash over him. He was never a fan of being handed a case right after they’d finished one, and from what little Zenjou had told them already, it sounded like they were about to get one of their more unpleasant cases.
</p><p>“Do tell,” Reisi said, because he lacked common sense and found such an introduction to be intriguing.
</p><p>“Remember the Adonis killer?” Zenjou asked. Saruhiko shuddered at that. The Adonis killer was a serial killer ten years previously who had killed nearly twenty men. He’d gotten his monniker based on the fact that his favorite targets were men who fit society’s standards for “highly attractive”, however he’d admitted upon capture that he hated all men on principle, since they were “competitors” for dating. Saruhiko remembered reading about the murderer back before his capture and wondering if Niki had somehow been involved- the killer’s hatred of men made it seem unlikely, however Niki had always had a way of charming even the most hostile of enemies. Case and point: he’d convinced Saruhiko’s very frigid mother to marry him.
</p><p>“Hard not to,” Kusanagi replied. “His youngest victim was only about a year older than me. My parents didn’t want me going out at all for a while there, even after he was caught.”
</p><p>“Indeed,” Reisi agreed. “My parents as well, though of course they were a bit more concerned about my brother than myself. But I seem to recall hearing that the killer died in prison, did he not?”
</p><p>“Yeah, he did,” Kusuhara admitted. “The winter before last.”
</p><p>“So?” Mikoto asked. “Which is it? Killer or victim? It’s gotta have somethin’ to do with that guy if you’re bringin’ him up.”
</p><p>“Does it matter? It’s gonna be a bitch either way,” Misaki grumbled.
</p><p>“It’s the killer,” Zenjou said. “And now that he’s a ghost, he’s killing again.”
</p><p>“What’s he been doing?” Anna asked.
</p><p>“Possession,” Kusuhara stated. Saruhiko automatically clicked his tongue.
</p><p>“How are you sure it’s not just a copycat?” Kusanagi asked. “Those do crop up every now and then, unfortunately.”
</p><p>“Because so far, he’s killed five people and we’ve managed to catch the people he possessed each time,” Kusuhara said. “They all say the same thing: one moment they were going about their lives, the next it was like their bodies had minds of their own. Once they’d killed the victim, then suddenly they could control their movements again. Witnesses reported the killers begging their victims to run or freaking out about what they were doing. One of the killers even called the police on himself.”
</p><p>“Oh my, that’s-” Totsuka began.
</p><p>“That’s not possession,” Misaki interrupted. All heads turned towards him. “You said this happened to five different guys, right? Chances are, they weren’t all suitable hosts for the ghost, if any of them were. So that means the ghost had to force the takeover, and there’s no way a forced takeover would be like what you described. Or even a peaceful one. Even if it’s a possession where the part that’s you is still there, it’s like, well, you <i>know</i>. You know something else is in control of your body. Your body isn’t moving on its own, something else is moving it.”
</p><p>“Isn’t that the same thing?” Zenjou asked.
</p><p>“No,” Misaki said, shaking his head. “What you said is like a skateboard on a hill, it moves down all by itself. But possession is more like when you’re on the skateboard and pushing. You're the skateboard, and you feel that someone's in control of you. Besides, they should have felt the ghost somehow. Like his feelings or- or a shove, maybe, or, I dunno, just they should have definitely felt someone was there if they stayed awake.”
</p><p>“So then we’re back to square one,” Zenjou sighed.
</p><p>“Not at all,” Reisi said. “On the contrary, we now know that the ghost is capable of controlling people without possessing them. The question is how. Is the ghost pushing and pulling the limbs of its targets like a child with a doll? Or perhaps it is using hypnosis of a sort? Or that one variety of psychokinesis, known as PK-L, I believe, since it affects living things.”
</p><p>“Whatever the case, it should be pretty interesting,” Totsuka said. “More so than a boring old possession.”
</p><p>“Gee, thanks for implying all the shit I’ve gone through is boring,” Misaki grumbled.
</p><p>“I meant boring by comparison,” Totsuka soothed easily. Saruhiko was tempted to say that he doubted Totsuka had found it even the slightest bit “boring” when Misaki had gotten possessed by <i>that man</i> before and had tormented Totsuka, but he bit the comment back. It was probably crossing a line or something.
</p><p>“Indeed, with so many possibilities, that means far more countermeasures to consider,” Reisi enthused, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.
</p><p>“Oh joy,” Kusanagi said, completely unenthused.
</p><p>“I think I would have preferred plain old possession myself,” Kusuhara sighed. “That is why we came to you guys after all. I mean yeah you always help us with ghosts and all, but also we’ve got some nice easy solutions to possessions right here, what with Anna-san and Yata-san.”
</p><p>“Saru can also help too,” Misaki insisted, frowning a little. “He did it before, when <i>that one ghost</i> tried to steal my body.” Saruhiko very nearly smiled at the way his boyfriend had picked up on his dislike of directly referencing Niki. It was almost definitely a good thing right now too, since who could say how a couple of police officers would react to knowing that Saruhiko’s “father” (Niki hardly deserved such a title, even if it was technically true) was one of the shittiest human beings to ever walk the planet.
</p><p>“Yeah, but can he do it without the kissing?” Mikoto just had to ask. Saruhiko sent him a withering look, while Misaki blushed luridly.
</p><p>“Remind me to ask for that story sometime,” Kusuhara said. “Anyway, Munakata-san, do you think you could start planning those countermeasures you mentioned? Your predictions could be useful here.”
</p><p>“I’ve already started, of course,” Reisi replied, steepling his fingers with a smirk. “In cases of direct control, it would be quite simple to have Mikoto physically remove the ghost, have Fushimi-kun pull it away with his ability, or have Anna speak to it. For psychokinesis, we’d likely need someone to step in and keep the controlled person from hurting anyone until the ghost can be found and persuaded to stop. Where this gets tricky is if the ghost is strong enough to control multiple targets at once. Depending on how many targets the ghost can capture, it could be like walking into a spider’s web, and there’s always the chance that our usual protections may not work since the effect is a physical one and we tend to focus more on mental protections.
</p><p>“But as tricky as psychokinesis could be, I think the most dangerous possibility would be hypnosis,” Reisi continued, getting up to pace slowly through the bar. “Hypnosis, depending on how it’s done, wouldn’t necessarily require the ghost’s continued control, allowing for more victims more easily. If that is the case, then it is likely that the hypnotized target would be unable to stop until their commanded action was completed. In other words, even Anna’s persuasion or the ghost’s removal from this world would not be enough to stop them. Of course, the advantage to this is that the hypnotized victim would be inflexible in their actions, and would only do what was ordered, so they would be less likely to harm anyone who hindered their actions, or to switch targets if their original target became nonviable. However, it would be very difficult to approach the ghost without getting hypnotized ourselves.” Reisi abruptly stopped moving, a grim expression on his face. “Our best chance in such a situation would be if the ghost were oblivious to our awareness of it, however, I do not think we can hope for that. Instead, it would be wisest to determine how the ghost conducts its hypnosis and find ways to counter the hypnosis from the start. Mirrored sunglasses, perhaps, or ear plugs might be the way to go.”
</p><p>Reisi began to move again, heading towards his self-designated table that he sat at and observed Homra’s patrons from whenever the bar was open. “Of course,” he added, pausing with one hand resting on the back of his favorite chair, “this speculation could all be moot depending on what the ghost’s actual methodology is. If it is something we have not guessed at, none of these methods will work. Indeed, I am currently sensing no advantage to any items that might conceivably prevent hypnosis.”
</p><p>“So, in other words, you just said all that for no real reason,” Zenjou asked flatly.
</p><p>“Not at all,” Reisi countered calmly, taking a seat. “It can be rather helpful with my ability to think out loud at times. Particularly in instances like this where information is currently lacking and where there is no clear decision to predict. It makes the possibilities feel more concrete, and therefore easier for my ability to process. Writing things down can also help, but that is more time-consuming than simply speaking.”
</p><p>“So in other words, you need more information,” Kusuhara said. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
</p><p>“Indeed, since the only way to get more information means taking risks,” Reisi nodded. “Luckily for you, we here at Homra are quite used to taking such risks.”
</p><p>“Did you just-” Kusanagi began, sheer disbelief evident in his voice. “Did you just volunteer us to be bait for a serial killer ghost?”
</p><p>“I do apologize, Kusanagi-kun, however, I am certain that we will not stop this ghost unless we do so,” Reisi replied. “Besides, you must admit, we are rather well-suited to act as bait in this instance. So much so that I’m sure the thought must have crossed our friends’ minds when they came to us.”
</p><p>“I’ll admit that the thought did occur to me, however I’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Zenjou admitted. “Especially once he started talking about all that hypnosis stuff and the dangers involved. Honestly, I was expecting this to be a simple case of someone getting possessed and the rest of you doing your stuff to stop the ghost in the meantime.”
</p><p>“Someone meaning me,” Misaki muttered bitterly.
</p><p>“Nah, the ghost likes to go for pretty guys,” Mikoto teased. “You’re probably the last guy here he’d go for.”
</p><p>“HAAAAAHHHHH?!” Misaki yelled, surging to his feet. “I’m definitely prettier than you, you fucking big-ass gorilla!”
</p><p>“Please don’t use ‘ass’ as a qualifier when describing him,” Saruhiko drawled. “He’ll misconstrue it so you’re talking about his ass. Also, you just admitted that you agree the rest of us are prettier than you.”
</p><p>“Wh- that’s- but- I- I just mean- Well what fucking guy wants to be pretty anyway!” Misaki sputtered.
</p><p>“And yet you’re dating a pretty boy,” Kusanagi pointed out.
</p><p>“Shut up! Saru’s… Saru’s hot, so whatever!” Misaki argued.
</p><p>“Ah, such persuasive arguments you make, Yata-chan,” Totsuka teased.
</p><p>“I think Misaki’s pretty,” Anna said seriously. “Like that time when we dressed up as-”
</p><p>“WAAAAAAAAH!” Misaki cried, almost falling off his seat as he rushed to hush Anna. “Don’t tell anyone about that!” he hissed at her. “Or you!” he added, glaring at Mikoto, who merely smirked.
</p><p>“You’ll tell us later, right, Mimimi?” Totsuka asked in a stage-whisper.
</p><p>“Aren’t we supposed to be planning our upcoming ghost-encounter?” Saruhiko asked loudly, figuring it was about time to come to his boyfriend’s defense. It didn’t stop Mikoto from giving Totsuka the slightest of affirmative nods, but whatever. Though that did mean Saruhiko would have to find some way to pry that information out of Misaki, since it wouldn’t do for others to know about his boyfriend’s embarrassing moments while he himself was left in the dark. 
</p><p>“Fushimi-kun is right,” Reisi agreed. “Have you determined any likely ties for the ghost yet?” 
</p><p>“Everything has happened fairly close to where he was captured, so I think that’s probably it,” Kusuhara told them. “Though if I’m right he has a pretty big area of activity since one of the murders was about five blocks from there.”
</p><p>“Five blocks. Damn,” Mikoto commented, though it was hard to tell if he was impressed or distressed by the information.
</p><p>“That’s a lot of area to cover,” Kusanagi stated.
</p><p>“And to make matters worse, it’s in an area that’s pretty active both day and night, so you’ll be hard put to find a time when there aren’t others around as potential victims or collateral damage,” Zenjou said. 
</p><p>“If he’s a location-tied ghost, then maybe I can simply push him out,” Saruhiko mused, but he was skeptical about the idea. After all, it sounded like the ghost’s area of activity might stretch further than the reach of Saruhiko’s ability.
</p><p>“No, I don’t think that will work…” Reisi said uncertainly, resting a fist against his chin. “Although I do think your ability will be necessary somehow, though I cannot give specifics just yet. For now, I suggest you gentlemen take Anna to visit the sights of the murders and see if she can pick up any useful residue to help us get a clearer picture of what we’re dealing with. It might also be wise to scope out the area to get a feel for the layout of the place, just in case.”
</p><p>“In that case, someone should go with Anna,” Kusanagi stated. “I was hoping to open the bar tonight, but I guess that won’t be happening, so I suppose we can all go.”
</p><p>“No need,” Mikoto said. “Just send Reisi. We should be able to open up just fine then, though we might miss some of our other clients if any show up.”
</p><p>“God I hope not,” Kusanagi groaned. “It sounds like this one’s gonna be messy; we really don’t need any more cases on our hands. Though I suppose we could always send ‘em on to Shiro.”
</p><p>“Actually, I think we might want Shiro working with us on this one as well,” Reisi countered.
</p><p>“Alright, Scepter 4 or Alphabet Squad then,” Kusanagi amended, lazily flapping a hand. Alphabet Squad being another group of mediums Homra had vague ties to. Though Saruhiko was of the opinion that “pyromaniacs” was a better term for those idiots than "mediums" was, and even at Homra nobody was really disagreeing with him on that.
</p><p>“Speaking of Shiro, maybe we should call him in tonight if we’re sending Anna away,” Totsuka mused. “Unless Saru-kun will be coming back for tonight?”
</p><p>“Pass,” Saruhiko said instantly, grimacing. 
</p><p>“Aw, Saru, c’mon,” Misaki whined. “If you say no then Shiro’ll come and he’ll bring Kuroh and Neko and it’ll be a pain.”
</p><p>“Or Mikoto could actually do something for once,” Saruhiko pointed out.
</p><p>“Mm, yeah, guess I could,” Mikoto grunted. It wasn’t exactly a confidence-inspiring response.
</p><p>“Good luck figuring that out,” Zenjou said. “We might as well get going. Kushina-san, Munakata, Takeru, let’s go.” He got up stiffly and headed over to the door, and Kusuhara, Anna, and Reisi all followed.
</p><p>“No point in me sticking around either,” Saruhiko said, stretching as he too got up. There wasn’t too much time before the bar would start preparing to open, especially if they were going to be short-staffed for the night, and he didn’t want to get in the way. Or rather, he didn’t want them to try and rope him into working the night after all. He’d done his time.
</p><p>“There doesn’t have to be a point though,” Totsuka stated. “You could always stay here just because, or-”
</p><p>“Sounds great and all, but I still think I’ll go home now,” Saruhiko said, retreating towards the rear hallway and the back door.
</p><p>“Wait, I’ll walk you out!” Misaki called, scurrying to join him. Saruhiko did slow down just a bit, waiting until Misaki was at his side, before resuming his normal pace. 
</p><p>“Something wrong?” Saruhiko drawled once they were out the door. “Did you need someone to hold your hand since we’re going against a scary ghost again?” He doubted that was really the case since, despite being afraid of ghosts as a result of his ability, Misaki never backed down from a case. But Saruhiko was a bit confused at Misaki’s accompanying him, and insults were his default defense mechanism. Yes they were dating, but it’s not like they were one of those sappy couples or anything. Saruhiko didn’t really do affection, and besides, it wasn’t like they ever really got time alone. 
</p><p>“That’s not it,” Misaki replied gruffly, not rising to the bait for once. Saruhiko felt a small surge of dread at that. Misaki <i>always</i> rose to the bait. “I just… I, uh, I was wondering, um, how’s work been lately?” Misaki scratched the edge of his jaw with one finger, while his other hand fisted the hem of his shirt. Saruhiko narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, suspicious. 
</p><p>“Misaki, since when have you been interested in my work?” he asked.
</p><p>“I’ve always been interested!” Misaki protested, lowering the hand and releasing his shirt. “I just don’t ask most of the time because you always talk about it in ways that I can’t understand and that ninja-otaku is hard to deal with. She’s scary, and she always wants money if you ask her anything.”
</p><p>“She’s my friend, what do you expect?” Saruhiko deadpanned, leaning back and crossing his arms.
</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, of course someone as difficult as you would have to have a friend who’s equally a pain, I get it,” Misaki grumbled, looking away. He looked back a moment later though, an earnest look in his eyes. “But seriously, how is it? I mean, whenever we call you in for a case you complain that we’re taking you away from things you need to do there, so you must be busy right?”
</p><p>Saruhiko began to get an inkling of what Misaki was getting at, and he clicked his tongue.
</p><p>“Not so busy that I can’t help out, I just don’t like being bothered with sudden calls,” he said slowly.
</p><p>“A-are you sure?” Misaki asked. “Because, you know, it’s not like you have to come help out <i>all</i> the time. I mean, we used to handle cases without you before, so it’s not like-”
</p><p>“Misaki, if you are trying to tell me not to assist on this case, then save it. Maybe I wasn’t always around, but I am part of the team now, same as you.”
</p><p>“I just think this one’s too dangerous for you!” Misaki argued, his voice finally rising a bit. “You’re really pretty, so you’re probably more at risk than anyone else this time!”
</p><p>“And you’re the one most at risk on pretty much every other case we take, yet you still insist on tagging along!” Saruhiko retorted, straightening and lowering his arms. “I even offered you an out, but you said that you’d still keep doing this. It’s illogical. If you want me to stay out of it, then you need to do the same.”
</p><p>“But-” Misaki protested.
</p><p>“And there you go again,” Saruhiko laughed harshly. “What excuse is it this time, Misaki? You can’t even feel sorry for the ghost this time, or maybe you didn’t hear them: it’s a murderer. A killer. You can’t expect me to believe you want to help a ghost like that.”
</p><p>“No but I do want to protect people from him!” Misaki shouted. “And maybe it’s not possession, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to help!”
</p><p>“And I could help too, you said so yourself,” Saruhiko argued. “So what’s the difference, Misaki?”
</p><p>“Yeah but I wanna protect you too!” Misaki cried. “What if the ghost targets you and we can’t stop him?”
</p><p>“And what if he targets you, did you ever think of that?” Saruhiko snarled. “You, who has no defenses against a ghost. Even Totsuka has better odds against a ghost than you, and he’s not a medium, so what makes you think that <i>I’m</i> the one who ought to sit this case out and not you, Misaki?”
</p><p>“You know I fucking can’t, Saru,” Misaki muttered, crossing his arms and glaring at the ground. He sighed, then raised his head and uncrossed his arms. “Look, <i>please</i>, can’t you just find some reason not to come?” he begged. “Just this one time, don’t help out. You like computers better than ghosts anyway, right, so-”
</p><p>“No, Misaki, I’m still coming,” Saruhiko said firmly. He turned and stalked over to his car, opening the door to get in. He half expected Misaki to follow but instead he heard the back door of the bar slamming shut. With a sigh, he got into the car and let his head fall back against the headrest. “Damn it,” he mumbled. 
</p><p>It wasn’t that he didn’t understand where Misaki was coming from. This certainly did sound like a risky case, and someone as protective as Misaki would surely be nervous about it. But it still annoyed Saruhiko that Misaki would ask something of him while refusing to do it himself. Especially when Misaki’s refusal to give up the ghost appeasement business was the entire reason Saruhiko was there in the first place.
</p><p>“Damn it,” Saruhiko mumbled again, thumping his head against the headrest again. He sighed, then turned the key in the ignition, muttering, “You’re not the only one who wants to protect people you know.”
</p><p>As he drove away, Saruhiko could almost hear Niki’s laugh, even with <i>that ghost</i> long gone. Even dead and purged from existence, Niki still found ways to haunt him whenever things went wrong.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Homra Fails</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: violence, slight blood, suicide mention, also a certain serial killer ghost. Lots of stuff that could is potentially triggering, so please be careful as you read.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Saruhiko arrived at the bar the following evening, Anna and Reisi had very little to report. Anna had Seen only the faintest traces of the ghost, nothing which she could follow or use to identify the ghost’s control tactic. Reisi had been slightly more successful, identifying a few spots which both his intuition and his ability deemed likely attack points. However, Reisi had warned them, attacks would not be limited to those points, so they still needed to be careful.
</p><p>For the time being, their group was to split up into pairs who would wander around together, patrolling Reisi’s target spots and looking for potential victims, all while acting as bait themselves. Supposedly they were paired off based on physical capabilities, so that if one half of the pair did get controlled by the ghost the other half had a fighting chance and/or could restrain them to prevent them from harming anyone. And to a certain extent, Saruhiko almost believed that. Almost. It seemed a bit much of a coincidence that Reisi and Mikoto ended up paired off together, or that Saruhiko himself was paired with Misaki, much to the displeasure of them both. Any other day, it would have been great, but given that they were both still sore over the previous night’s fight, Saruhiko wondered if they might not be a greater danger to each other than the ghost.
</p><p>In the end, Saruhiko and Misaki opted for a more distant sort of partnership. They’d amble along in the same direction, never too far from each other, but at the same time, not truly together. Saruhiko made sure to periodically make opportunities to chat with women they came across, trying to incur the ghost’s ire as per one of Reisi’s many recommendations. Unfortunately, it only made Misaki grumpier, though it was hard to tell if it was because he didn’t like Saruhiko trying to make a target of himself or if it was just jealousy. But it wasn’t like Misaki could be relied on to flirt with women at all, given that he was a little bit afraid of them as a result of some awkward encounters due to ghosts that had possessed him (and maybe a little trauma caused by Awashima and Douhan).
</p><p>Nothing happened that first night, aside from Totsuka almost breaking his toe trying to learn some dance moves from a street performer. The ghost remained inactive and unseen. The second night was the same, sans the nearly-broken toe, as was the third. 
</p><p>If Saruhiko were to be brutally honest, those first three nights made him doubt the police officers’ assessment that there was a ghost involved. Coincidence was a thing. An annoying thing, but a thing nonetheless. Maybe the killers had been drunk or on drugs. Maybe they’d conspired together to set the whole thing up. Maybe they’d all lied because they wanted to get off the hook after committing murder. Who knew?
</p><p>Their fourth night was about halfway over now, and so far had been much of the same. Misaki hadn’t said a thing all night, only grunted here and there when absolutely necessary, and Saruhiko was just about ready to insist on a partner switch. Forget the risks, he’d rather get strangled by a colleague who was too strong to fight against than endure this childish sulking. Not to mention the others had finally clued in to the fact that things were tense between the two of them, and all of them had offered to listen if Saruhiko wanted to talk about anything, even Kusuhara and Zenjou. He’d finally lost patience and snapped at Anna that he didn’t want to talk, ever, because he wasn’t the sort of person who wasted time yakking about pointless things as if that would magically solve his problems, and-
</p><p>And at that point he’d finally shut himself up, because Anna didn’t deserve to be snapped at like that. Of course, it didn’t stop the rest of their motley crew from glaring at him, even when he actually mustered up an apology despite it being completely against his nature.
</p><p>Saruhiko was just beginning to look at some of the different food vendors around, wondering which of them was the least objectionable option for a late night meal when his phone buzzed with a text message. As he pulled out his phone to check it, he saw Misaki in his peripherals, doing the same. The ghost had finally struck. 
</p><p>Saruhiko barely had time to read the text and process that the location was less than two blocks away before Misaki was practically throwing himself at him, saying “Hold my body.” Without waiting to see if Saruhiko would actually catch him, he split into two, his physical body sagging against Saruhiko as his spiritual form went darting off, passing through the nearby buildings in a direct route to the scene. Saruhiko clicked his tongue.
</p><p>“Don’t just leave your body unattended when there’s a homicidal ghost about,” he muttered, hoisting Misaki’s body by the armpits. “And just what am I supposed to do with you, idiot?” he added, looking around. Thankfully it was late enough that it wasn’t too uncommon to see drunkards being towed around by their unfortunate friends, meaning no one would look too hard at him manhandling his comatose boyfriend, but that didn’t change the fact that he still had to maneuver said unconscious boyfriend. With a sigh, he lowered his shoulders so that he could drape one of Misaki’s arms around them, grumbling at the awkward hunch it left him in due to the redhead’s shorter stature. Juggling his phone in one hand, he checked the fastest route to the scene, stumbling in that direction.
</p><p>Between needing to take a circuitous route to go around buildings, walking in such an unusual position, and dragging over 130 pounds of deadweight, it took more than ten minutes for Saruhiko to get there, and by the time he did, the scene was already blocked off by police cars. Well that was great. Hopefully his idiot colleagues weren’t all in handcuffs right now. Why couldn’t the police have had a slow response time?
</p><p>Before Saruhiko could figure out what the hell to do now, Shiro’s shikigami Kuroh appeared in front of him, bowing slightly. 
</p><p>“Fushimi-san, this way please,” the shikigami said, extending an arm to indicate the direction. 
</p><p>“Alright,” Saruhiko grumbled, hefting Misaki’s body a little higher since he was starting to slip.
</p><p>“Here, allow me,” Kuroh said, taking charge of Misaki’s body before Saruhiko could even protest. Did the shikigami think Saruhiko incapable of taking care of his own boyfriend? Saruhiko clicked his tongue, but otherwise followed in silence as the shiki strode off in the direction he’d indicated previously, Misaki’s uninhabited form stationed on his back.
</p><p>Kuroh led the way into a nearby fast food shop, winding his way through the seating area to where two tables had been pushed together, creating a space designed for a slightly large group like theirs. Anna, Kusanagi, Totsuka, Shiro, and Shiro’s other shikigami, Neko, were all waiting for them, along with Misaki’s spirit. Misaki didn’t react at all as Kuroh approached with his body, only returning to himself when Kuroh brought his body over to him and placed it on a chair for him. 
</p><p>“I take it there was another victim?” Saruhiko queried, pulling out a chair for himself.
</p><p>“Two,” Shiro said dully. Saruhiko almost missed the chair as he sat, thanks to his surprise.
</p><p>“Wait, you’re saying there were multiple targets?” he asked.
</p><p>“No,” Anna replied. “After the victim was killed, the ghost made the person he was controlling kill himself as well. With Misaki still inside.”
</p><p>Fight or no fight, Saruhiko was on his feet instantly, going to Misaki’s side and kneeling next to him, reaching out to… offer comfort, or something. Whatever, it wasn’t like he knew what he was doing, he just… needed to do something, even if he wasn’t sure what.
</p><p>“‘M fine,” Misaki mumbled, in a very not-fine sort of tone. Saruhiko grabbed the nearest chair and dragged it so that it was flush against Misaki’s, taking a seat in it and pulling his boyfriend close to lean against him. Misaki sighed, but accepted the treatment, even nuzzling his cheek against Saruhiko’s shoulder ever-so-slightly.
</p><p>Kuroh left and came back a few minutes later with Mikoto and Reisi, the last to arrive since Kusuhara and Zenjou were apparently stuck dealing with the aftermath. Totsuka briefed them on what had happened, and they joined the group in sitting around their conjoined tables with stony faces. 
</p><p>Saruhiko was just beginning to wonder if they were going to just sit there all night when one of the workers called out a number and Totsuka got up and went to the front of the store, coming back with a tray full of French fries. It seemed this was some sort of a signal, because once he’d placed the tray in the center of the tables, discussions began.
</p><p>“First of all, please go over the situation step by step,” Reisi said, taking charge. “Try to include every detail.”
</p><p>“Kusuhara-san and I found ‘em,” Kusanagi spoke up. “Unfortunately, he was ‘off’ so he didn’t get anything. I sent out the text and then started trying to restrain the guy being controlled, while Kusuhara-san began first aid on the victim. We were still trying to do that when Anna arrived.”
</p><p>“I went straight there after Kusanagi-san’s text,” Misaki chipped in. “Had no problems entering the guy being controlled but, well, it was weird.”
</p><p>“Weird how?” Reisi asked patiently. Misaki shifted against Saruhiko, tensing up a little.
</p><p>“I dunno,” he replied. “Like… I know I definitely took over his body and all, but it was like I didn’t. I had no control. I even knocked the guy out just to be sure, and you know I try not to do that to people! But even when I did that, I couldn’t make him stop. He just kept trying to kill that other guy, even though he didn’t want that.”
</p><p>“What about his memories?” Reisi pressed. “Did you see-”
</p><p>“I was a bit too busy trying to stop him to pick his brain!” Misaki exclaimed a little too loudly, slamming his fists on the table. 
</p><p>“Yata-chan, calm down and have some fries,” Totsuka said, passing over a cardboard container full of the potato wedges. 
</p><p>“You try and be calm after being inside someone who committed suicide while they shoulda been under your control,” Misaki muttered, but obediently snatched a few fries and shoved them in his mouth.
</p><p>“Alright, we’ll come back to you,” Reisi said, and received a dark glare from Misaki. “Anna, you also arrived on the scene?”
</p><p>“Yes,” Anna nodded. “Misaki was already inside, but the killer was still fighting so I tried to use my persuasion on him, but it had no effect. If anything, it made things worse, because right after that he bit through his own tongue. The victim died a couple minutes later.”
</p><p>“Blood loss,” Kusanagi added. “He’d been stabbed with a smashed glass bottle. Kusuhara-san did his best, but he’d already bled quite a bit before we intervened.”
</p><p>“Bit off his tongue, huh…” Reisi mused. “And since you didn’t mention him at all, am I correct in assuming the ghost did not appear to be present?”
</p><p>“I didn’t sense him at all,” Anna said, while Misaki shook his head to indicate the same conclusion. “I didn’t even See any residue on the killer, other than Misaki’s.”
</p><p>“Perhaps the ghost’s residue was too weak then?” Reisi suggested, and Anna shrugged slightly. “Hmm… Well, the absence of the ghost rules out direct physical control. As for my other main theories, psychokinesis seems unlikely since the ghost would have to be acting on an unseen target from far away, not to mention there would likely be residue. Would there be residue for hypnosis?”
</p><p>“I don’t know,” Anna admitted.
</p><p>“He could control his mouth though,” Misaki suddenly said around a mouthful of fries. He swallowed, then added, “At the beginning anyway. His head was all his. He kept looking around, and when I knocked him out I could control that much. But then at the end, it was like when you get a cavity and they make your mouth all numb. Only you don’t bite your tongue off when that happens.”
</p><p>“Thank you,” Reisi said. “That seems like a very important detail, though at this time I can’t say how. At this point, I still think hypnosis seems the most likely, provided it is done in advance. The victim is likely hypnotized some time before the encounter, but remains pacific until the ghost ‘activates’ them with an order, or orders. Or so I would say, but now that I have spoken that seems a bit too unlikely. How would the ghost guarantee the right timing? It leaves too much to chance.”
</p><p>“Perhaps the ghost hypnotizes multiple people and just chooses whoever will work best,” Totsuka suggested.
</p><p>“It’s not impossible, but how does the ghost keep track of them then?” Reisi countered.
</p><p>“Maybe it’s a bit like shikigami?” Shiro offered, but his voice wavered with his own skepticism. “I always have a bit of a sense for Kuroh and Neko, and with a little focus I can tell what they’re doing. It doesn’t work on the ‘rabbits’ though, but that could be because they are contracted to the family and not anyone specific.”
</p><p>“How would a ghost make people into shikigami though?” Mikoto asked.
</p><p>“And without leaving a residue trail?” Anna added.
</p><p>“Not to mention that I think that capability more likely results from the nature of the bond you and Kuroh and Neko share,” Reisi input. “I doubt it is a common feature of an onmyouji-shikigami relationship.”
</p><p>“Well there has to be some way,” Kusanagi said, staring at a fry as he twirled it in his fingers. “Could the ghost somehow be hiding his residue? Like if he were going passive?”
</p><p>“No,” Anna insisted. “A passive ghost wouldn’t be able to control people. He’d have to become active, and we’d see his residue. He shouldn’t be able to do this while hiding from us.”
</p><p>“But he’s doing exactly that,” Shiro pointed out glumly.
</p><p>“Maybe we’re looking at this backwards,” Saruhiko said. “Maybe instead of focusing on the victims, we should be looking for the ghost. We’ve been skulking around for days, and all we’ve accomplished is increasing the victim count and establishing that the ghost is nowhere to be seen.”
</p><p>“Tha’s great and all, but how d’ya propose we do that?” Mikoto asked. “We’ve got no residue to follow.”
</p><p>“We know his tie,” Saruhiko pointed out.
</p><p>“Except Anna didn’t See anything when we visited the location of the arrest,” Reisi countered. “If it were his tie-”
</p><p>“She’d See something, I get it,” Saruhiko sighed. “I just don’t think our current methodology is particularly efficient, given that we’ve spent four nights wandering about and have nothing to show for it other than more trauma for my boyfriend.”
</p><p>“Oh, so you two are still dating then?” Totsuka asked.
</p><p>“Toldja he was on his period,” Mikoto said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair with a satisfied look on his face.
</p><p>“Of course that’s the part you idiots focus on,” Saruhiko grumbled, not deigning to point out that cis-gendered males such as Misaki and himself do not menstruate. “My point still stands that what we’ve been doing seems like nothing more than a waste of time.”
</p><p>“See, that would be a lot more convincing if it weren’t coming from you,” Kusanagi said. “As far as I can tell, you think everything is a waste of time.”
</p><p>“And unless you’ve got other suggestions, I don’t see any other options for us,” Shiro said. “Unless Munakata-san has any ideas?”
</p><p>“Unfortunately, I am fresh out,” Reisi said. “However, Fushimi-kun, I disagree with your assessment. I have an inkling that we may actually get results if we continue on this track.”
</p><p>“Are those results the death of one or more people here?” Saruhiko retorted angrily. “Because that’s what’s going to happen, and it’s unacceptable.”
</p><p>“I would never tolerate a future that would involve the deaths of any of our comrades,” Reisi replied, his tone somewhat icy. “Do not presume you are the only one who cares about everyone here.”
</p><p>“I know that,” Saruhiko mumbled, simmering down.
</p><p>“Wait, did he just admit that he cares about us?” Totsuka whispered a little too loudly.
</p><p>“Not like we didn’t already know it,” Mikoto shrugged.
</p><p>“Fuck you guys, I need some coffee,” Saruhiko huffed, rising to his feet and heading to the counter to order what would undoubtedly be a dismal excuse for caffeine.
</p><p>Five minutes later, Saruhiko was sipping from a plastic to-go cup of something that was so disgusting it didn’t even deserve the name of coffee. Seriously, how much creamer and sugar had they added to this drink? He should have gone for the hot coffee rather than iced. Whatever, he’d had things on his mind when he’d ordered. 
</p><p>When Saruhiko arrived back at the group, Kusanagi was on the phone with Zenjou, exchanging updates on the situation. Shiro was having a French fry war with Neko, while Kuroh frowned in disapproval, and Reisi and Totsuka were both looking at their phones, presumably looking for any more information they could find on the ghost’s background. Mikoto had slumped down for a nap (surprise, surprise), Anna was actually eating some of the fries (and with surprising gusto too), and Misaki was fidgeting, which was never a good sign. Usually when Misaki had nothing to do, he’d either pull out some device to play a game, or he’d listen to music, or he’d sprawl out and complain about being bored. But fidgeting, that was reserved for moments when he had something to say, particularly something that the listener wouldn’t like to hear.
</p><p>“Hey Saru…” Misaki began as Saruhiko reached the table, and Saruhiko immediately turned on his heel and headed to the bathroom. Nope, this was not the time for them to be having a talk. Especially if the talk had anything to do with Totsuka’s earlier presumption that they might break up. Which was a possibility that Saruhiko hadn’t considered before, but now that it had been mentioned he was terrified of it. If Misaki broke up with him, then wouldn’t that mean he’d lose all this? Which he should be totally okay with, except he wasn’t, because Reisi was right, he did care about them all, and-
</p><p>“Oi, wait up, will ya?” Misaki said, grabbing Saruhiko just as he entered the restroom. Saruhiko clicked his tongue, but the sound was weak. 
</p><p>“Look, if you’re going to break up with me-” Saruhiko began.
</p><p>“Hah?!” Misaki exclaimed. “Why the hell would I break up with you? You’re the one who’s mad at me!”
</p><p>“How am I the one who’s mad?” Saruhiko muttered. “I’m not the one who stormed off the last time we talked.”
</p><p>“Well you’re the one being stubborn,” Misaki argued. Saruhiko just raised an eyebrow rather than reply. 
</p><p>“Look, I just wanted to say thanks I guess,” Misaki finally continued. “For looking after my body tonight. But I still think this is too dangerous for-”
</p><p>“Save it,” Saruhiko spat bitterly. “If it were up to me, none of us would be coming back after what happened tonight, because frankly, it’s too dangerous for any of us. But you and those idiots all have your savior complexes or whatever, and so you insist on doing this, so fine, we’re doing this. All of us. Together.”
</p><p>“But the rest of us actually want to do this, you don’t!” Misaki insisted.
</p><p>“What, you want to risk your life with a homicidal maniac?” Saruhiko scoffed.
</p><p>Unfortunately, he did so right as another patron came in. After hearing his words, the stranger quickly changed his mind about his need to empty his bladder and walked right back out.
</p><p>“Well, n-no, but-” Misaki stammered, glancing at the door like he wanted to escape through it now that he’d been reminded of its existence.
</p><p>“And last I checked, you <i>hated</i> being possessed, so don’t try and claim you actually want to be chasing ghosts, Misaki.” Saruhiko folded his arms, planting himself. 
</p><p>“I do like being able to help them though,” Misaki mumbled.
</p><p>“Why couldn’t you just help the living instead?” Saruhiko sighed, letting his head fall back and raising a hand to brush his bangs back from his face.
</p><p>“Because anyone can do that,” Misaki replied easily. “But only we can do this. Besides, sometimes the living are worse than the dead.”
</p><p>“Not the most convincing argument when the current ghost is killing people,” Saruhiko pointed out. He sighed, lowering his arm and tilting his head forward again, looking at Misaki instead of the ceiling. “Whatever, if I can accept that we’re not abandoning this case like we should because that’s the sensible thing to do, then you can accept I’m sticking around too.”
</p><p>“I hate it when you’re all logical like that,” Misaki sulked, looking away. “Alright fine. You win. But if you get yourself killed I’m making sure your ghost gets stuck here forever so that I can haunt you.”
</p><p>“Isn’t that supposed to be the other way around?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“Yeah, but we’re mediums, so it’s different for us,” Misaki replied, looking back with a grin. And while Saruhiko was still annoyed with Misaki’s stubbornness, he had to admit that he’d missed that grin.
</p><p>“If you say so,” he replied. “Anyway, let’s get out of here so that guy who came in a bit ago can finally take a piss.” He turned to leave.
</p><p>“Huh, but don’t you need to go?” Misaki asked.
</p><p>“No, I was just avoiding you since I thought you might break up with me,” Saruhiko admitted, stopping in place with his hand on the door.
</p><p>“No way,” Misaki said. “I haven’t put up with your grumpy ass for this long just to ditch you over this. You’re stuck with me, Saru.”
</p><p>Saruhiko clicked his tongue. “Stuck with you? That’s just my luck,” he drawled, speaking to the door.
</p><p>“Hey!” Misaki protested.
</p><p>“I didn’t say it was bad luck,” Saruhiko added over his shoulder. As Misaki sputtered protests, he made his escape from the bathroom, smiling for what was the first time in days. He was still sore about this foolhardy case, but at least his boyfriend wasn’t breaking up with him. He could do this.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Totsuka Gets Killed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: Violence, slight gore/mentions of blood, very brief mentions of suicidal acts. All par for the course with the current ghost, unfortunately.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the next week, the patrols continued, although there were a couple nights when they decided to open Homra, meaning they had to downsize the team. After all, chasing ghosts didn’t really get them very much revenue, and they all had to make a living, so keeping the bar closed for extended periods of time was not something they could really afford. On the nights the bar was open, there were only two pairs on patrol: Reisi and Mikoto, and Saruhiko paired with Kusuhara. 
</p><p>While things were better between Saruhiko and Misaki, it was only marginally so. They were still rather tense around each other with none of the casual intimacy that had built up since they started dating, and they kept conversation to a minimum, partly since if they did talk it didn’t take long for one of them to start making barbed comments about the other being reckless. But at least their patrols were a little less hostile, with occasional moments where one of them would step close to the other to make a comment under their breath that would inevitably make the other crack a smile. Or rather, Misaki would smile when Saruhiko commented. Saruhiko had a flawless poker face, there’s no way he’d lose control of his expression like that. Nope. Okay, maybe once. Or twice. But only when Misaki said something funny and never just because Saruhiko was happy they were somewhat on speaking terms again.
</p><p>All was quiet for that entire week, and Saruhiko felt sure that the lull was intentional. After all, it was great psychological warfare: it would either trick them into letting their guard down, allowing for another attack to be more lethal, or it would keep them on edge until their own nerves got the better of them, also allowing for the ghost’s victory. A part of him hoped he was wrong though, since the only reason the ghost would be intentionally stringing them out like this was if it was aware of their intentions in hindering it. 
</p><p>And then, a full eight nights after their first encounter with one of the ghost’s victims, Saruhiko and Misaki got a text in the middle of their patrol again. It was from Totsuka, and contained a location and the message, <i>Good news! Shiro-san is trying to kill me!</i>
</p><p>Upon reading the text, Saruhiko rolled his eyes, then looked over at Misaki, who looked back at him a moment later, and the two of them nodded, silently agreeing that they needed to get the hell over there. The two of them set off at a fast walk, familiar enough with the area by now to not need directions to get to where their friends were. 
</p><p>When they reached a red light and had to wait to cross a street, Misaki shifted restlessly in place, anxious to help, and Saruhiko couldn’t help himself from asking, “Not going to ditch your body this time?”
</p><p>“It won’t help,” Misaki pointed out bitterly, actually stilling a bit. “‘Sides, it’s Shiro. Maybe his defenses are down or something, but if not, there’s no way I’ll get in.” The light changed, and Misaki surged forward even before the cars had finished stopping. Saruhiko followed, silently vowing to lecture his boyfriend later about pedestrian safety.
</p><p>When they got to the location Totsuka had sent them, they did not see a single familiar face. There were, however, plenty of people standing around, talking in hushed voices and glancing off in the direction opposite where Saruhiko and Misaki had come from, so it was easy enough to guess where their friends might have gone. After all, an attempted murder in public was likely to garner some attention. Following the trail of shocked faces, they eventually came to a park, where, in an open space near the center, they could see Shiro viciously swinging a closed umbrella at Totsuka, who was narrowly avoiding each hit with a series of graceful movements mixed with clumsy stumbles that made him completely unpredictable. Still, it was obvious that Totsuka was in a tight spot, and Saruhiko and Misaki instantly broke into a run to try and restrain Shiro. Except, Saruhiko’s brain reminded him as they took off, restraining Shiro would only result in the death of the onmyouji instead. Maybe they could gag him so he’d be unable to bite his tongue? But with what?
</p><p>Even as Saruhiko’s brain sought out solutions, his eyes were informing him of another problem: no matter how hard they ran, he and Misaki weren’t getting any closer to the altercation. In fact, Misaki was already slowing to a stop, confusion evident in his expression.
</p><p>“The hell?” Misaki panted. “Is the ghost controlling Neko too? Why won’t she let us get close, we’re trying to help!”
</p><p>“Maybe she doesn’t want Shiro to be killed due to our interference,” Saruhiko pointed out.
</p><p>“It’s not like we want Shiro to die either!” Misaki protested. “Ugh, fuck it. I’m gonna try this the other way. Hold me!”
</p><p>Just like the last incident, Misaki peeled out of his body abruptly, leaving Saruhiko to fumble to catch him. Misaki’s spirit began running towards the scene in front of them, but just like their physical forms, it couldn’t move any closer. As Saruhiko watched, a distressed expression appeared on spirit-Misaki’s face, and he cried out in a voice Saruhiko heard with his mind rather than his ears, “What’s going on?”
</p><p>Dejectedly, Misaki returned to his body, which Saruhiko had been holding up with a two-armed grip around his chest. It was a hold that was so akin to a hug, Saruhiko was strangely tempted to maintain it even as Misaki regained control of himself, but such a notion was ludicrous, so Saruhiko released him. 
</p><p>“Dammit Neko,” Misaki whispered.
</p><p>“Maybe one of the others will be able to do something,” Saruhiko mumbled. “They should be here soon too. I’m sure-”
</p><p>“Look out!” Misaki shouted, interrupting Saruhiko. The reason for the shout was that a lucky swipe of the umbrella managed to collide with Totsuka’s head, making the man stumble. 
</p><p>“No!” Shiro screamed, but it made no difference, because his ghost-controlled body had ideas of its own, and was already following up by jabbing forward with the umbrella, and the pointed center stabbed Totsuka, piercing his torso with a violence Saruhiko thought could only be seen in movies.
</p><p>“Totsuka-san!” Misaki yelled, surging forward. And while there was a moment where he went nowhere, a second later he was finally able to proceed forward to where Shiro was already kneeling over the body, pawing at the fallen man as if somehow he could undo the fatal wound with pure desperation.
</p><p>Saruhiko followed after Misaki, but at a slower pace since he doubted there was anything they could do. Too much blood had flowed from the wound when Shiro had-
</p><p>Wait a second. When had Shiro pulled the umbrella out? Saruhiko had been unable to look away from the scene, so he should have seen that, yet while he could perfectly recall that sickening moment the umbrella had impaled the cameraman, he could remember seeing it’s removal. He hurried the last few steps, wanting to figure out what was going on, and saw-
</p><p>“K-Kusuhara-san?” Misaki stuttered, staring down at the body below them. Saruhiko stared too, seeing no blood whatsoever, despite the stabbing that had just occurred. And when he looked at the umbrella, which was lying haphazardly on the ground as if dropped, it was clean as well.
</p><p>“Move,” a voice ordered, and Saruhiko and Misaki automatically parted because that voice was Kusanagi’s, and one did not argue with the bartender when he used that tone. Even Shiro backed off, now flanked by his two shikigami. As he moved aside, Saruhiko noticed that Mikoto and Reisi had also arrived, and were standing a few feet away, on either side of another Totsuka, presumably the real one. Reisi seemed to be conducting a cognitive assessment of Totsuka, holding up fingers to count and making Totsuka follow movements with his eyes, while Mikoto had an arm wrapped tightly around Totsuka’s shoulders as he stared in horror at the spot where Kusuhara was lying, and where less than a minute ago it had seemed that Totsuka had died.
</p><p>Kusanagi knelt in front of Kusuhara, one hand reaching to feel for a pulse while he began fumbling with Kusuhara’s shirt with the other hand, opening it to take a look. At the sight of the bared torso, Misaki gasped, and Saruhiko couldn’t blame him for it. Not because the sight was gruesome like it ought to have been; quite the opposite. The only mark on the officer’s chest was some slight bruising on his left pectoral- aside from that, there wasn’t so much as a scratch to mar his torso.
</p><p>“Good thing that wasn’t real I guess,” Kusanagi remarked, brushing his fingers over the bruise. “That’s right by the heart.”
</p><p>“Nyahaha, how do you like my killer moves, shaded glasses!” Neko cried, looking smug. She stepped forward, propping her hands on her hips. “That yucky ghost thinks he killed someone but he didn’t. Not Tata-san and not Fizzy Policeman and not Shiro!” Neko did a little pirouette as she spoke, with her hands held up in ballet fifth position, and one leg lifted slightly to one side. She wobbled at the end before catching herself, her arms flying out for balance. 
</p><p>“Except your actions have caused quite a bit of mental trauma,” Kuroh argued. “Shiro is distraught. And I suspect Kusuhara-dono’s unconscious state is due to having experienced being fatally stabbed.”
</p><p>“Yeah, being stabbed like that hurts,” Misaki agreed under his breath.
</p><p>“Not to mention that any witnesses are probably quite horrified and will think Shiro a murderer,” Kuroh finished. Neko hissed her ire at his criticism, edging closer to Shiro for some mutual comfort.
</p><p>Running footsteps alerted them to the approach of a new party, and they looked up to see Zenjou thundering towards them, Anna trailing behind him and clutching a stitch in her side.
</p><p>“What happened?” Zenjou demanded, slightly out-of-breath. A good question, actually. Sure, it was clear Neko had intervened, but that didn’t completely explain how Kusuhara had become Totsuka.
</p><p>“I used my killer moves and saved everyone!” Neko insisted yet again.
</p><p>“Based on the trauma they received, I do not think it accurate to say that you saved Shiro and Kusu-” Kuroh argued staunchly.
</p><p>“<i>Everyone!</i>” Neko interrupted, shouting over Kuroh.
</p><p>“The ghost took over Shiro and tried to kill Totsuka,” Kusanagi explained. “When Kusuhara-san and I arrived, we tried to intervene, and Neko changed perception to make Kusuhara-san appear to be Totsuka so that Shiro’s ghost-controlled efforts would be focused on him and not Totsuka, allowing me to get Totsuka out of the way. She then made it seem like Shiro successfully stabbed Totsuka, who was really Kusuhara-san, and the ghost released Shiro.”
</p><p>“This is gonna be a headache in paperwork,” Zenjou sighed. “So how come the ghost suddenly wanted Totsuka-san dead?”
</p><p>“I was practicing the dance moves I learned the other day again,” Totsuka piped up, sounding remarkably cheerful considering his recent near-death experience. 
</p><p>“The ones you nearly broke your toe learning?” Misaki asked incredulously.
</p><p>“Yup,” Totsuka nodded. “I was doing pretty well too. I had an audience, and they seemed to be impressed, which is probably what the ghost didn’t like.”
</p><p>“Yeah, that seems like it could do it,” Kusanagi agreed.
</p><p>“Not to address the elephant in the room, but now will you agree we need to back out of this one?” Saruhiko asked. “Or at least change our methodology,” he added, since he doubted that there was any chance of the others actually abandoning the case. After all, it was the reasonable thing to do, and these people were anything but reasonable.
</p><p>“If I get to teach that ghost he don’t get to try an’ kill my boyfriends, I don’t mind switchin’ things up,” Mikoto growled, cracking his knuckles.
</p><p>“If we had another method, I would gladly switch to it,” Reisi said tiredly. “But as I’ve stated previously, we won’t find anything out, let alone deal with this ghost, unless we continue as we have thus far. Believe me, I’d rather not take such risks, especially now that the ghost has targeted Tatara, however, we have no choice.”
</p><p>“Oh we have a choice alright,” Kusanagi drawled. “It’s just that the choice is to save our own skins and let countless untold others die, or risk our lives but maybe rid the world of a psychopathic ghost. It’s just ethics that keep us from considering the former.”
</p><p>“I wouldn’t blame you guys for backing out,” Zenjou sighed. “You can talk it over if you want, and let us know your decision later, but for now, I think Kusuhara’s coming around.”
</p><p>Sure enough, as they all focused their attention on Kusuhara, the officer began struggling to sit up. Zenjou quickly moved to assist the younger man, and soon Kusuhara was sitting up straight, one hand at the back of his neck as he tilted his head back and forth to crack his neck.
</p><p>“Whew, that was a bit of a shock,” Kusuhara said. 
</p><p>“Are you okay?” Anna asked.
</p><p>“Better than that, I know what our ghostly killer is doing to people,” Kusuhara said. “Right before Isana-san stabbed me, I had an ‘on’ moment of hypersensitivity. It was only a couple seconds, but I could See that he is present on his control victims after all.”
</p><p>“But Anna didn’t See any residue!” Misaki protested.
</p><p>“She didn’t See it, because the residue is too small,” Kusuhara replied.
</p><p>“I beg your pardon,” Kusanagi deadpanned.
</p><p>“Ah, I see,” Reisi said, bracing his chin on one hand consideringly. “So you’re saying that this ghost is operating on a micro level, correct?”
</p><p>“Exactly,” Kusuhara replied, inclining his head in the psychic’s direction. “Human eyes, even Anna’s, can’t see individual bacterium without the aid of a microscope. Similarly, it’s impossible to See the ghost’s activity without the aid of an ability like the brief hypersensitivity I had.”
</p><p>“So what, you’re saying this ghost is disease or something?” Misaki asked, looking confused.
</p><p>“Not quite,” Kusuhara replied. “Based on what I saw, the ghost has split himself up into microscopic parasites.”
</p><p>“The fuck?” Mikoto growled.
</p><p>“Well that would certainly explain the troubles we’ve been having,” Kusanagi commented. “It’s a lot like last year when we couldn’t deal with that book ghost because it was all spread out.”
</p><p>“Indeed,” Reisi agreed. “And now we can truly begin planning a countermeasure.”
</p><p>“It might not be that simple,” Kusuhara informed them regretfully. “From what I saw, the ghost has dispersed himself throughout the area. This allows him to observe large areas, seeking his targets, while also making him all but impossible to pin down. In fact, he’s probably watching us now.”
</p><p>“Wow that’s fucked up,” Misaki whispered.
</p><p>“Creepy,” Shiro sing-songed quietly at the same time.
</p><p>“Wait, doesn’t that mean that the ghost will have seen through Neko’s ruse by now?” Kusanagi asked, looking around nervously.
</p><p>“Under the circumstances, Neko and I are hardly going to be lax in our security,” Kuroh huffed, mildly indignant. “We have of course secured this area in a barrier. Even a microscopic ghost would not be able to get in.”
</p><p>“All the same, I still think we should probly head out before we start talkin’ those countermeasures,” Mikoto said.
</p><p>“Agreed,” Reisi said. “I know I for one could do with a nice cup of tea right now to calm down after tonight’s events. Shall we reconvene in our home territory?”
</p><p>“Leave behind freaky spy ghost and head home where there’s wards?” Misaki asked rhetorically. “Hell yeah!”
</p><p>“We’re only going to attract attention hanging around here, so that’s fine by me,” Zenjou said. “Though Isana-san should probably come with me and Kusuhara, given the ruckus that was just raised.”
</p><p>“Yeah I suppose it would look peculiar if two police officers blithely walked away from someone who was a homicidal maniac five minutes ago,” Shiro said wryly. “Will you be cuffing me, or…?”
</p><p>“Oo, kinky,” Totsuka commented jokingly.
</p><p>“Must you people be so tiresome?” Zenjou sighed.
</p><p>“They can’t help it, it’s their default state,” Saruhiko informed him bluntly. 
</p><p>“Oh, we can help it,” Mikoto smirked. “It’s just more fun to annoy guys like you.”
</p><p>“Okay, it’s really time to go now,” Kusanagi said loudly, ever the parental figure of their group. “C’mon guys, up and at ‘em.” He helped Kusuhara to his feet, and then began slowly shooing everyone in the general direction of where they’d left the van. The officers and Shiro split off to go to Zenjou’s car, and Kuroh went with them just in case, while Neko stayed with the larger portion of their group to make sure they didn’t attract any attention from the ghost. They made it safely out of the area, and within half an hour both vehicles were back at the bar and Kusanagi had mercifully set up the coffeemaker and put a kettle on for anyone who wanted tea. Saruhiko found himself watching the coffeemaker intently, waiting for the brew of happiness to finish dripping down into the pot so he could claim the first cup. 
</p><p>Nothing happened as they waited for their beverages to be ready. There was some idle chatter, but nobody said anything about their case; if anything, it looked just like an ordinary day at Homra, albeit with the addition of Shiro, his shikigami, and the two officers. At first, Saruhiko was assuming they were just biding time until they had caffeine, since caffeine helped brain functions and all, but even once the coffee had been doled out and the tea was steeping, they didn’t focus on the matter at hand. If anything, it got quieter, like an anticipatory hush. 
</p><p>And then suddenly Totsuka came down from his apartment, which was the first Saruhiko noticed the man had even left the bar. He was carrying a blanket, which Saruhiko found peculiar, until Mikoto began pushing tables to the side and the blanket was laid out flat on the ground in the newly opened space. At this point, Reisi settled himself on the blanket, and began performing an impromptu tea ceremony.
</p><p>It wasn’t the first time Saruhiko had seen Reisi mixing his own green tea like that. It was something the psychic was known to do from time to time, but never had he stopped to do it in the middle of a case like this. But judging by the way everyone else seemed to be waiting with bated breath, there was some significance to Reisi’s doing so.
</p><p>Saruhiko hated moments like these, where even after the better part of a year with Homra, he was faced with things he didn’t know. Sometimes it was ghost lore he was oblivious to, sometimes it was idiosyncrasies like this that he wasn’t aware of, and then there were also the memories shared by everyone but him. It made him feel like he was still an outsider, even though he’d entered into their little group.
</p><p>Finally, Reisi put down his chasen and picked up his tea bowl, taking a deep sip before lowering it back down to the blanket. With this action, the atmosphere once again changed, and discussions began.
</p><p>“I believe I have come up with a solution to our problem,” Reisi began. “However, it will take some time to implement.”
</p><p>“Do I need to call any of our connections in?” Kusanagi asked. "Maybe Scepter 4, since they helped with that book ghost that was similar?" Reisi shook his head.
</p><p>“No, we should be able to do what is necessary with our current team,” he replied. “It is just that it will take some fine-tuning.”
</p><p>“So what is this plan?” Zenjou asked.
</p><p>“Have you ever heard of a kodoku, Officer Zenjou?” Reisi asked.
</p><p>Saruhiko felt the blood drain from his face, and tasted bile in his throat. Their team had previously encountered an attempted kodoku that had been created by <i>that man</i>. However, the kodoku had failed, and instead of becoming a single, extremely powerful ghost that could be used to curse someone, it had merely become a cluster of frightened ghosts who had ended up fleeing into Misaki when he’d picked up their original container. While the ghosts had all moved on eventually, the whole experience had nearly killed Misaki. All in all, Saruhiko would have been perfectly happy never thinking about kodokus again.
</p><p>“I have,” Zenjou said gravely. “Bug jars, right? Made for curses?”
</p><p>“Something like that,” Reisi said. “We’d be doing something similar, only instead of collecting bugs, we’d be collecting the fragments of the ghost.”
</p><p>“And just how do you plan on doing that?” Saruhiko asked. He tried to say it in an uninterested drawl, but his voice came out a frail rasp, giving away his true feelings.
</p><p>“I think you know very well how it will be done, Fushimi-kun,” Reisi said, twisting his body to look Saruhiko in the eye. 
</p><p>“I’m not doing it,” Saruhiko said, as firmly as he could manage. “Anything <i>that man</i> considered a good idea-”
</p><p>“I’m not asking you to create an actual kodoku,” Reisi assured him. “You just need to collect the ghost in one place so that it will become manageable. It’s the only way we’ll be able to deal with him.”
</p><p>“Okay fine, say I agree to it,” Saruhiko spat, folding his arms. “That means I have to gather up a bunch of microscopic bits of ghost. How do we know whether or not my ability will even affect ghosts at that size? Not to mention this ghost’s area of activity is larger than my range. Even if I got a boost from everyone here, I doubt it’d be enough to handle what you’re asking of me.”
</p><p>“Which is why this will take time,” Reisi replied calmly. “You will need to use your ability in a different way than you have up until now. Still, with Anna’s help, you should be able to hone the correct skills within a couple of days.”
</p><p>“Alright, we get him to pull Ghosty McMurder together, then what?” Mikoto asked.
</p><p>“Then it becomes the usual,” Reisi informed him. “If we are quick about collecting the ghost, then Anna should be able to persuade him. However, I’m afraid that a quick capture is unlikely, and therefore we should be prepared for emergency disposal.”
</p><p>“I’ll do it,” Anna volunteered. “I doubt this ghost will be easy to persuade, so if I’m the one finishing him off either way then there’s no need to make a split decision about whether to share everyone’s energy with me or someone else.”
</p><p>“Are you sure?” Shiro asked. “One of us could handle it instead.”
</p><p>“No, Anna’s correct,” Reisi declared. “It would not be prudent to waste time trying to decide who to delegate everyone’s energy to. I understand your concern, Shiro-san, given the stress that such measures cause Anna, however, it is necessary in this case.”
</p><p>“You always say things are necessary,” Mikoto huffed.
</p><p>“Because it’s always true, Mikoto,” Reisi replied gently.
</p><p>“I know that,” Mikoto grumbled.
</p><p>“Reimu, you know he’s just complaining so you’ll spoil him later,” Totsuka chipped in.
</p><p>“Perhaps, but I don’t mind spoiling either of you, so I hardly see it as an issue,” Reisi informed him. The three men began making what could only be described as “goo-goo eyes” at each other, and Saruhiko felt like retching. 
</p><p>“Here we go again,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. To his surprise, Reisi actually broke away from the miniature love-fest that was going on, sighing heavily.
</p><p>“Fushimi-kun is right, we do have other matters to discuss for now,” Reisi admitted grudgingly. “For now, are there any objections to the plan?”
</p><p>“What if the ghost strikes one of us again while we’re still gathering him up?” Kusanagi queried.
</p><p>“That won’t happen,” Reisi assured him. 
</p><p>“What about attacks to civilians in the meantime?” Zenjou asked.
</p><p>“The best we can do for now is to have Shiro-san’s shikigami fool the ghost as they did today,” Reisi said gravely. “Unfortunately, the only way we can truly protect people from this ghost is to stop it entirely; we cannot hope to prevent any battles unless we defeat him once and for all. Unless you can find a reason to close that entire district, the attacks will remain a possibility until the ghost is defeated. However, you need not concern yourselves excessively, as Fushimi-kun is a very quick study. He may not have the years of experience the others do, however he achieved mastery of his ability in just a couple months, and would have done it even faster were it not for some outside interference that handicapped him.”
</p><p>“I’m sure Fushimi-san is very capable,” Kusuhara replied. “It’s just that our job is to try and prevent things like this from happening, so to know there’s a chance that people could get killed, yet still do nothing to stop it… It’s a little hard for us. Both professionally and morally.”
</p><p>“The same goes for us as well,” Shiro said. “We as mediums are supposed to help the dead and prevent them from causing problems for the living. I can’t make you any guarantees, but I promise Neko will keep watch and try and prevent deaths as well as she can. Does that make you feel any better?”
</p><p>“Not much,” Zenjou said flatly, at the same time Kusuhara hummed, “A little.”
</p><p>“Thank you, Yashiro, that would be a big help,” Anna said as a tiebreaker. 
</p><p>“Alright then, if we’ve got a plan in place, then I suggest we all head home and get some rest,” Kusanagi said. “Or at least, those of us that can, anyway, I’m sure you two have to do some paperwork over this incident,” he added, nodding to the two officers, who both grimaced.
</p><p>“Right, what time should I be here tomorrow?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“As early as Hirasaka-san can spare you would be ideal,” Reisi replied.
</p><p>“Okay, I’ll tell her I’m taking indefinite leave,” Saruhiko replied.
</p><p>“Should you really leave your boss hanging like that?” Kusuhara asked, frowning in concern.
</p><p>“She’s my friend, she’ll complain for three weeks and then forgive me,” Saruhiko replied. “In fact, I’m sure she’ll be happy to have something legitimate to complain about for once. And it’s not like I can’t take my work with me, since I handle the technological aspect of our investigative work.”
</p><p>“You seem to have an interesting definition of friendship,” Zenjou commented.
</p><p>“We share a general dislike of people. It works for us,” Saruhiko informed him.
</p><p>“Shoulda known if you were with these guys you had to be a weirdo,” Zenjou replied, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.
</p><p>“Damn straight,” Misaki said proudly.
</p><p>“No, I’m homo, you of all people should know that by now,” Saruhiko couldn’t resist deadpanning.
</p><p>“And those two complain about us,” Totsuka murmured.
</p><p>“Right, I’m outta here,” Zenjou said, replacing his glasses hurriedly. “Takeru, let’s go. That bartender was right about our paperwork.”
</p><p>“Coming,” Kusuhara replied. “And don’t any of you make an innuendo out of that,” he added quickly, before following Zenjou out the door.
</p><p>“I should go too,” Saruhiko said, getting to his feet. “I’ll be here tomorrow at ten, does that work for you, Anna?”
</p><p>“Yes, it should give me time to get what we need,” Anna agreed. “I’ll see you then. Good night, Saruhiko.”
</p><p>“Good night,” he replied, suppressing a yawn as he headed for the back door. He felt drained after the events of the evening. Still, at least they had made progress. That meant they were one step closer to being done with this godforsaken ghost.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Am I one to throw in parallels to canon whenever and wherever I can? Why yes, yes I am.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Anna Gets Angry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: Serial killer ghosts running around, slight implied homophobia</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Saruhiko sighed as he put the final marble down, rolling his neck and rubbing at one tense shoulder with his hand. It had taken four days- two to perfect the skills he needed for this assignment, and another two to finish making the necessary preparations- but he’d finally finished. Which meant they could finally finish off that serial killer ghost tonight. Oh joy.
</p><p>“Here, lean forward a bit,” Misaki said, coming to stand beside the booth where Saruhiko was sitting. It was just the two of them in the front part of the bar at the moment, as Anna and Kusanagi were in the back going over their inventory and Reisi, Mikoto, and Totsuka were off somewhere on a date. Misaki pushed on Saruhiko’s back, attempting to force the taller man to lean forward as ordered. Saruhiko rolled his eyes, but he didn’t see any particular reason to resist, so he obediently complied. A second later, he was very glad he had, because Misaki began kneading at his shoulders, and with the tense state Saruhiko was in after using his ability so much, the massage was sheer bliss. To top it all off, he could feel a trickle of energy flowing into him from Misaki, which also helped to alleviate the aches that had gathered within his body.
</p><p>“That’s it, I’m keeping you,” Saruhiko mumbled.
</p><p>“What the hell, does that mean I was on some sort of trial this whole time?” Misaki retorted angrily, but his hands remained gentle.
</p><p>“It means you’re forgiven for being a nag about this case,” Saruhiko replied drily. “And that you are an amazing boyfriend who I love very very much so don’t you dare stop, asshole.”
</p><p>“Shut up you bastard,” Misaki said back, a laugh in his voice. Saruhiko was glad Misaki was behind him, and therefore couldn’t see his grin. It looked like they were finally getting back to a comfortable dynamic.
</p><p>A pale hand entered into Saruhiko’s vision, and he jumped because he hadn’t noticed Anna’s entrance and approach. She picked up the blue marble he’d just put down, examining it, before nodding.
</p><p>“Well done, Saruhiko,” she said.
</p><p>“It’s not like I didn’t already do eleven others,” Saruhiko grumbled in reply. “I know what I’m doing by now.”
</p><p>“True, but it takes a lot of energy,” Anna replied. “To have managed a dozen in just a couple days is quite remarkable.”
</p><p>“Misaki helped a bit,” Saruhiko mumbled, since Misaki had been feeding him bits of energy and had also dutifully refilled Saruhiko’s coffee mug every time he emptied it.
</p><p>“Yeah, well, when your ability’s as useless as mine, you gotta find other ways to be helpful,” Misaki sighed, his hands stilling. Saruhiko made a noise of protest and Misaki got back to work on the massage. He supposed he’d have to remember this the next time he was less than pleased with Misaki.
</p><p>“You’re ability isn’t useless, it’s just niche,” Saruhiko said, then moaned slightly as Misaki began to work on a particularly painful knot. “Right there.”
</p><p>“Should I be leaving the room?” Anna deadpanned.
</p><p>“Huh?” Misaki asked. “Why would you need to leave?”
</p><p>“Nevermind,” Anna said, shaking her head with a tiny smile. 
</p><p>“We’re hardly going to get up to anything here,” Saruhiko informed her, raising a hand to place over Misaki’s and let the other man know he could stop. “Kusanagi would probably have a conniption fit. Anyway, are you sure you’re willing to trust these things?” he added, inclining his head towards the pouch of marbles he’d been working with. “It’s not like we’re going to be able to tell if they’re working, at least not at first.”
</p><p>“No, they’ll work,” Anna said. “The two of you have made them quite powerful. You make an excellent team.”
</p><p>“Heh, of course!” Misaki grinned, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on Saruhiko’s shoulders. Saruhiko didn’t particularly like it, but he decided to forgive Misaki in light of the recent heavenly massage. “What else would you expect?”
</p><p>“Mm, complete and total disaster, actually,” Anna replied, tilting her head and propping her chin on a fist in mock thought.
</p><p>“Haaaah?!” Misaki exclaimed, causing Saruhiko to flinch from the close proximity of Misaki to his ears.
</p><p>“You’re loud,” Saruhiko complained.
</p><p>“And that’s exactly what I mean,” Anna said, nodding sagely.
</p><p>“Che,” Misaki spat, straightening. “So if he’s done with those marbles, then that means we’re going out tonight, right?”
</p><p>“You’d have to check with Reisi, but I believe all the preparations have already been made,” Anna replied.
</p><p>“When do you think they’ll get here?” Saruhiko asked. “Do I have time to take a nap?”
</p><p>“I don’t think it’ll take long for Mikoto and the others to return,” Anna replied, “but everyone else should take a bit longer, and even then I don’t think we were planning to leave until later on, since the ghost’s appearances have all been in the evening.”
</p><p>“Go ahead and sleep, I’ll make sure no one draws on your face or anything,” Misaki asserted. “You don’t sleep enough as it is.”
</p><p>“I’ll have you know my sleep habits have improved quite a bit since we got rid of <i>that man</i>,” Saruhiko retorted haughtily, but he was already turning sideways so his back was against the walls and he could sleep more comfortably. “Just make sure those idiots know that anyone who pranks me will die,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
</p><p>“Sure thing,” Misaki said softly. “Sleep well, Saru.”
</p><p>It felt like it was only a few seconds later that Saruhiko opened his eyes, but a glance at his watch showed that he’d been asleep almost two hours. Looking around, he saw that the boyfriends were in attendance, as was Shiro. Shiro looked positively gray, and Saruhiko wondered if it was because of the incident four days prior, or if it was because, as Neko’s master, he was feeling the effects of her efforts to keep any more murders from happening. Either way, Saruhiko couldn’t help but feel a brief pang of… concern, maybe, for the onmyouji. Well, it wasn’t like there was anything for him to do about it. If it was the former, then it would be better to leave that sort of compassionate sympathy stuff to the rest of Homra, and if it was the latter, that was going to get taken care of this evening. Probably. Assuming this plan actually worked, which, given that it was calculated using Reisi’s ability, it should. But there could always be an unknown element to throw a wrench in the works; it had happened before. 
</p><p>Eventually the officers showed up, and Reisi explained what was happening.
</p><p>“The plan for tonight is simple,” he began. “All we have to do is walk the routes I have planned out for each of us so as to cover the entirety of the ghost’s known area of activity.”
</p><p>“That’s it?” Zenjou asked incredulously. “I thought you guys actually had something here.”
</p><p>“We do. These,” Reisi replied, holding up one of the marbles Saruhiko had been working with. “As long as we all carry one of these, we will be able to deal with the ghost.”
</p><p>“I’ll take your word for it,” Zenjou sighed. “After all, it’s not like I can see ghosts or anything like that.” He held out a hand for a marble, pocketing it when one was given. 
</p><p>“Thank you for trusting us,” Reisi replied. He proceeded to dole out the rest of the marbles, while Kusanagi came forward with a bunch of sheets of paper which he also handed out. The papers turned out to be maps, detailing the different routes they’d each be taking. Once they’d all been handed out, Reisi turned to face everyone and asked, “Any questions?”
</p><p>A collection of head shaking and negative responses followed.
</p><p>“Good,” Reisi nodded, completely in his element now that he got to order people around. “Shall we? No sense in wasting time.”
</p><p>He led the way out the door to the parking lot, and soon enough they were all in their respective vehicles and buckled up and on their way to the ghost’s kill zone, hopefully for the last time.
</p><p>For the sake of efficiency, Kusanagi drove them all to their starting points, or at least as close as he could get. As each of them got out in turn, there was a moment where eye contact was made, and Saruhiko could almost feel the silent well-wishes, the prayers that this wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other. If the marbles worked, then certainly there wasn’t any chance of the ghost hurting them, but that was assuming the marbles worked. Sure, Saruhiko had done what he’d been told, but what if they weren’t strong enough, or what if the power he’d put into them leaked away, or…
</p><p>In some ways, Saruhiko was almost glad when his turn came and he was able to escape the van and head off on his route. Outside the van, he could focus on his journey, remembering each turn and calculating how soon it would come based on his current pace. He was sure if Misaki knew what he was thinking, the shorter would call him a nerd, which brought the slightest of smiles to Saruhiko’s face. That was another thing he could think about there. Instead of worrying about the risks, he could plan some time spent with Misaki after this. Probably just playing video games at the house Misaki shared with Anna and Mikoto, since that was their usual modus operandi, or maybe watching some movies and cuddling. They didn’t need to do anything fancy; Saruhiko just wanted to be around Misaki when there weren’t any ghosts threatening their lives and causing them to argue.
</p><p>About two thirds of the way through his route, Saruhiko began to become aware of a sensation coming from the pocket containing the marble he was carrying, a sensation that he could only describe as “malignance”. Had he not grown up with <i>that man</i>, it would have sent shivers down his spine and possibly have even caused him to lose control of his bladder, but as it was it just made him click his tongue. It seemed that something had angered the ghost, though he couldn’t be sure if it was that the ghost had spotted something it didn’t like, or that it had caught on to them. Either way, it meant they couldn’t afford to waste time, so he’d better not dawdle.
</p><p>He walked at a quick pace as he hastened to get to the meeting point sooner, the feeling of malignance only getting worse as he went. It just left him with yet another fear about their plan and it’s potential failings.
</p><p>Saruhiko turned the final corner and hurried toward the meeting place, which just so happened to be the same park where their last encounter with the ghost had occurred. Saruhiko shuddered at Reisi’s decision to come back here. 
</p><p>As Saruhiko approached the park, Misaki came running up to him.
</p><p>“Oi Saru, are you okay?” Misaki panted in a rush. “The ghosts’s been feeling pretty nasty since a while ago, something musta pissed him off.” As if to emphasize his point, Misaki shivered violently, raising his hands to rub his arms with. 
</p><p>“Yes, I noticed,” Saruhiko drawled back. “I may be relatively new to this business, but I’m not completely insensitive you know.”
</p><p>“Yeah, but resonance isn’t really your thing,” Misaki argued back without any real bite.
</p><p>Exploring the park a bit revealed that Anna had also completed her route, and they were soon joined by the others in short order. With each new arrival, it became more apparent that their plan was working. As the marbles they carried were brought close to each other, a haze began to form in the air, which slowly solidified into a static-snow image, until, with the final arrival, those with Sight could clearly see the ghost. He had neatly trimmed hair and a narrow chinstrap beard, as well as a monocle that hung from a delicate chain attached to the collar of his shirt, almost like he lived in a previous century. He also had a glare that could ferment any fruit into vinegar, which he aimed at each of the men in their group in turn. 
</p><p>“Given the way that I am feeling a peculiar urge to throttle everyone here, I take it that means the plan worked,” Reisi stated, and sure enough, when the ghost’s glare was on him, Saruhiko felt a similar urge. “Not that I ever had any doubts,” Reisi added, because he was a self-confident bastard.
</p><p>“Yup, he’s here, for better or worse” Shiro replied. “All gathered up into one place, thanks to the marbles.”
</p><p>“Huh, and here I thought that the marbles were just Munakata messing with us,” Zenjou said, pulling out his marble and examining it.
</p><p>“Not at all,” Reisi said, actually sounding happy to have been doubted so. “The marbles are a sort of black hole for ghosts. They will have sucked up every bit of ghostly energy in the area, no matter how small.”
</p><p>“Wouldn’t that suck up other ghosts too?” Kusuhara asked.
</p><p>“Yes,” Anna stated. “But Yashiro and his shikigami cleared the area for us, and they made a barrier to keep out any passing ghosts. We don’t want to involve other ghosts in this after all.”
</p><p>“Yeah, it would be cruel to kill off ghosts that haven’t hurt anyone,” Shiro agreed. “Not to mention that sometimes ghosts become evil by exposure to other ghosts who are evil.”
</p><p>“Well speaking of evil ghosts, maybe we should do something about the one that’s already here,” Kusanagi pointed out.
</p><p>“Guess it’s time to hand things off to you, then,” Mikoto rumbled, reaching out a hand to place on Anna’s head. Shiro followed suit, stepping up to Anna’s other side and placing a hand on her shoulder. Right, they were supposed to share their energy with her so she could put this ghost in its place, whether that be the afterlife or non-existence.
</p><p>Saruhiko and Reisi took over once Mikoto and Shiro were done, then finally Misaki. He reached out and took her hand, holding it as he used the connection to pass his spiritual power into his “sister”. As he did, the ghost’s attention honed in on him, and the ghost’s glare intensified. Which was impressive, considering that it had already been about as intense as possible. But it was worrisome, since the very act caused beads of sweat to appear on Misaki’s skin, and his free hand clutched at the hem of his shirt as he tried not to shake. Saruhiko decided he wasn’t going to have any of that.
</p><p>Stepping forward, Saruhiko wrapped his arms around Misaki, saying, “You know, babe, we should really go on a date this weekend.”
</p><p>For a few long seconds, Misaki sputtered, leaving Saruhiko to feel the gazes of literally everyone there, both living and dead, as they stared at him for his rare and rather abrupt public display of affection. It made him want to take it back, but it was too late for that, so all he could do was die internally over the fact that he had actually allowed the word “babe” to pass from his lips. 
</p><p>“W-w-wha- where did that come from?” Misaki finally stammered, and Saruhiko definitely regretted getting up this morning, or really any time since the day he was born.
</p><p>“Do you not want to then?” he asked blandly, trying to keep his internal screaming from being discernible in his voice.
</p><p>“I-I do!” Misaki insisted. “Just, you usually just text me things like that. I thought you hated being all mushy and stuff.”
</p><p>“Of course I hate it,” Saruhiko grumbled. “I just hate idiot ghosts thinking I’d ever let you look at someone else in a romantic way and being homicidal because of it.”
</p><p><i>“You need to shut the hell up,”</i> Anna suddenly said, her voice full of power, but the command slipped past Saruhiko and Misaki, instead aimed solely at the ghost. Saruhiko had to wonder what the ghost had said for Anna to use such language, since she was always so polite and demure. He found out very quickly though, because her tirade wasn’t done. “How dare you say such things? If you hate men because they might date a woman you are interested in, then you should be glad to see two men who are in love with each other and aren’t interested in women. Who are you to be so judgmental? And if anyone here is a deviant, I’d say it’s the person committing murder just because no one is putting up with his bullshit, not the people who are in a healthy and loving relationship, so stop casting aspersions and <i>move the fuck on already. Leave this world before I make you.”</i>
</p><p>“You really know how to make us proud,” Mikoto commented cheerfully.
</p><p>“You didn’t have to hear what he was saying,” Anna muttered darkly.
</p><p>“That’s probly a good thing,” Mikoto shrugged. “You know how I feel about hearing that shit.”
</p><p>“Yeah, but Anna still hadta hear it,” Misaki pointed out.
</p><p>“Thank you Misaki,” Anna said. “I’m glad someone noticed that.”
</p><p>“I’d apologize since it’s my fault, but considering the circumstances, I don’t think I can,” Saruhiko told her. “With the way that ghost was glaring at Misaki and his penchant for resonating with ghosts, I didn’t think it would be long before he started having problems.”
</p><p>“Hey!” Misaki protested, wriggling with Saruhiko’s arms still around him.
</p><p>“No, he’s right, you were getting rather pale,” Totsuka chipped in helpfully.
</p><p>“Indeed, it was a rather prudent decision on Fushimi-kun’s part,” Reisi agreed.
</p><p>“Better be one helluva date,” Misaki grumbled, finally removing Saruhiko’s arms.
</p><p>“I wouldn’t count on it,” Kusanagi commented. “Fushimi-san doesn’t seem like the romantic type. I’m actually impressed that he even realizes he ought to take you on dates once in a while.”
</p><p>“Whether it’ll be one hell of a date or not, it’ll definitely be private,” Saruhiko decided pointedly.
</p><p>“Hey, you’re the one who up and got all touchy-feely in the middle of a park when surrounded by your colleagues,” Kusanagi pointed out. “Anyway, Anna, how are things with that ghost?”
</p><p>“He’s not leaving,” Anna replied. “We took too long, so we didn’t catch him off guard.” She paused then added in a slightly chagrined tone, “And also he was more prepared for my persuasion since I’d already used it to tell him to shut up.”
</p><p>“Oh no, looks like he’ll have to be eliminated,” Mikoto gasped sarcastically. “What. A. Fuckin’. Pity.”
</p><p>“Yes, but Anna’s going to be the one to do it, and you know how hard that is for her,” Shiro pointed out.
</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” Anna said, a glint of relentless determination in her eyes. “Hand me your marbles, everyone.”
</p><p>Anna removed her hand from Misaki’s, arranging her skirts around herself as she knelt on the ground. She pulled out a string and made a circle with it, then accepted the blue marbles one by one, placing them within the loop of string. Once all the marbles were collected inside, she pulled a pouch out of a pocket in her dress, and removed seven of her red marbles from within the pouch, placing them at even intervals around the edges of the string so that they surrounded the cluster of blue marbles. She then looked at where the ghost’s image was now hovering above the circle of string and marbles, and quietly warned, “Last chance.”
</p><p>Whatever the ghost said in response was clearly not worth repeating, as Anna’s lips pursed and she leaned over the circle, slamming her hands down on either side. The red marbles instantly blazed to life, shining like miniature fires as a dome of red washed over the circle, and the ghost’s image began to writhe. The blue marbles began to be overcome by red, the two colors swirling until they each cracked one at a time, the ghost’s image wavering with each crack. When the final marble cracked, the ghost seemed to implode, all it’s split up parts converging on one point and then burning up as they ceased to exist. For a moment, Anna shook, biting her lip, but then she took a deep breath and got to her feet, resolutely dusting off her skirts.
</p><p>“It is done,” she said firmly, and even though the ghost’s unusual form had made him all but impossible to sense, Saruhiko knew she was right.
</p><p>“So be it,” Reisi said gravely. 
</p><p>“Fuckin’ finally,” Misaki sighed with a whoosh. “Hey Saru, were you serious about that date, or-?”
</p><p>“Of course I was serious, idiot,” Saruhiko grumbled. “Going on dates is something boyfriends do, isn’t it?”
</p><p>“It is,” Totsuka interrupted unabashedly. “So is physical intimacy, though I suppose that really depends on the couple, doesn’t it?”
</p><p>“Okay, but you guys are sure this thing is done, right?” Zenjou asked, steering the conversation back to the ghost that had just been destroyed.
</p><p>“Yes,” Shiro confirmed.
</p><p>“While we could not sense him, the feeling of such a deed is unmistakable, no matter what scale it occurs on,” Kuroh added.
</p><p>“Yeah, he went all fwupock!” Neko exclaimed, apparently not wanting to be the only one of the trio not to contribute to the conversation. “No more icky ghostie!”
</p><p>“Uh-huh,” Zenjou commented, not impressed. “Alright then, guess we’d better get going. Paperwork and all.”
</p><p>“And we’d better get Anna to bed,” Kusanagi agreed.
</p><p>“I’m fine, Izumo,” Anna mumbled. “It wasn’t actually that bad.” The statement might have been more convincing if it wasn’t immediately followed by a face-splitting yawn.
</p><p>“Plus the lovebirds need to plan their date,” Mikoto pointed out.
</p><p>“We could plan one too, Mii-chan,” Totsuka suggested.
</p><p>“Yes yes, you guys have fun with that. <i>After</i> we get back to the bar,” Kusanagi insisted. “I miss my countertop.”
</p><p>“Ah, how rude of us to keep you from your one true love,” Totsuka teased.
</p><p>They said their goodbyes and headed back to their respective vehicles, finally heading home and away from the streets they’d been spending so much time on recently. Saruhiko doubted any of them would be going back anytime soon, not unless they absolutely had to. Some things took time to get over, after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Originally I wanted to have Awashima and Douhan show up because I always feel like I don't give the female characters enough love, but it didn't really make sense so I cut that. I'll just have to settle for Anna being a badass instead.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Awashima Wants to Help</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Me: Hm, something light needs to happen next. Whatever shall I come up with?<br/>Comments: *Date, date, date, date!*<br/>Me: Wow, what a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?<br/>I wish I were joking, but for some reason it really didn't occur to me to actually write their date. Which you won't actually see until next time, since I decided to indulge myself with a little Awashima POV first. But the date will happen. I promise.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is this really necessary?” Fushimi grumbled, and Seri shook her head in fond exasperation. She liked Fushimi, because she knew fully well that his grouchiness was mostly for show and that underneath that he was a kind (albeit extremely awkward about it) person. But at times, his clumsy emotional stuntedness could be a bit of a pain in the ass to deal with.
</p>
<p>“Of course it is,” she replied. “Kusanagi-san informed me that you have promised Yata-kun ‘one hell of a date’, and since both he and Douhan claim you are about as romantic as an ingrown toenail, I thought I’d lend a hand. Besides, when I first asked you what your plan was, you said, and I quote, ‘hang out at home and play video games or something, I don’t know, it’s just a date.’ Trust me, we need to do this.”
</p>
<p>Fushimi clicked his tongue, but otherwise abated his protests. The two were sitting in a coffee shop, phones out, while Seri had a notepad and pen in front of her, ready to jot down anything noteworthy. They both had coffees in front of them to fuel their brains as they tried to formulate a plan.
</p>
<p>“How about you and Kusanagi just start dating instead of discussing other people’s love lives,” Saruhiko grumbled. 
</p>
<p>“I know you’re just trying to embarrass me so I’ll get distracted. It won’t work,” Seri informed him. He clicked his tongue again, clearly having expected that he wouldn’t be so easily foiled. 
</p>
<p>“Whatever, let’s get this over with,” Fushimi sighed.
</p>
<p>“Okay, so let’s start with standard date locations,” Seri said, picking up the pen to write everything down. “There’s movie theaters, arcades, aquariums, sports matches, amusement parks, and fancy restaurants. However, we can rule out fancy restaurants, because Yata-kun hates that sort of thing, and the amusement park is no good either since I believe he is planning to go there when his family comes to visit next month.”
</p>
<p>“Movies and arcades are out too, if we want to watch a movie or play games, we can just stay home. It’s cheaper and more comfortable and convenient,” Fushimi input. “And I don’t see Misaki enjoying sports matches much, he’d rather play than watch.”
</p>
<p>“Alright,” Seri agreed, crossing those items off as well, though she thought his arguments against an arcade or theater were pretty thin. “So that leaves us with an aquarium, or something a little less standard.”
</p>
<p>“Which is why I didn’t want to do this,” Fushimi complained, rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to an aquarium.” He paused, then added in a mumble so low and indistinct Seri almost missed it, “Even if Misaki looks cute in those pictures in their album…”
</p>
<p>“So nothing standard then,” Seri agreed. “Not to worry, there’s still plenty of possibilities. You could go on a picnic at a park-”
</p>
<p>“Not likely,” Fushimi snorted.
</p>
<p>“-visit a beach-”
</p>
<p>“Too much sand,” Fushimi drawled.
</p>
<p>“-participate in a couple’s art activity-”
</p>
<p>“No way in hell,” Fushimi said vehemently. Seri felt her expression tightening at how uncooperative the man was being, but continued nevertheless.
</p>
<p>“-visit a museum-”
</p>
<p>“Misaki would get us kicked out,” Fushimi stated, and Seri had to agree that was probably true. 
</p>
<p>“-or you could go bar hopping,” she finished, because she was getting tired of her every single suggestion getting shot down.
</p>
<p>“Or we could just stay home,” Fushimi suggested irritably. “Like I was originally planning. It might sound lame to you, but I just want to spend time <i>with my boyfriend</i>.”
</p>
<p>“If that’s all you want, then you don’t even need to go on a date,” Seri retorted. “You do that on a regular basis. I understand that you are not an outgoing person and prefer to stay in quiet, isolated, familiar places, but please remember that you are not the only person in your relationship. And while Yata-kun may be more willing to compromise, even he will begin to feel dissatisfied if you’re only ever considering yourself. This date is, as I understand it, supposed to be special. Is the two of you staying at home really all that special?” Then, with a sly grin, she added, “Unless you two were planning on taking the next step? If that’s the case, we can focus on dinner suggestions, and I can recommend condom and lube brands if need be.”
</p>
<p>The horrified look on Fushimi’s face was totally worth it.
</p>
<p>“<i>No</i>, thank you,” he said firmly. “That will not be necessary. That’s- I mean we- I haven’t- We haven’t talked about that yet. Not really. It’s just-”
</p>
<p>“Douhan’s right, you <i>are</i> easy to tease,” Seri couldn’t help saying. Her roommate had informed her in the past that, for all that her relationship with Fushimi was built on mutual cynicism and a shared dislike for socialization, one of her favorite things about the bespectacled medium was that his defenses weren’t nearly as ironclad as he believed.
</p>
<p>“I thought you were supposed to be helping me with date ideas,” Fushimi sulked.
</p>
<p>“You’re the one who keeps shutting them down,” Seri pointed out.
</p>
<p>“Because you keep suggesting things that are no good,” Fushimi retorted. He snatched up his phone, tapping away at the screen as he began some search. “How about a cat cafe? The beasts used to hate me, but recently they seem to like me a lot.”
</p>
<p>“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Seri informed him. “From what I understand, cats hate ghosts, and by extension, they tend to hate mediums too, particularly ones that carry a lot of residue like Yata-kun does. They probably like you better since you can keep the ghosts away, but there’s a good chance Yata-kun would need stitches if you two went to a cat cafe.”
</p>
<p>“Ah, so that’s it,” Fushimi commented. “I wondered why cats went from growling at me all the time to bringing me ‘gifts’ and rubbing up against me. At first I thought it was just your cat, but strays have been doing it too. So it’s all because of ghosts, huh?”
</p>
<p>“Indeed,” Seri nodded. She smiled a bit, trying to picture a perplexed Fushimi being doted on by cats after what was doubtlessly a lifetime of hostility. “Let’s keep trying.” She too began to scroll through ideas on her phone, the two of them periodically throwing an idea out, but unfortunately, everything got shot down. A zoo was “too smelly”, a planetarium would have bored Yata rather than impressed him, a botanical garden was likely to make Yata get defensive about his name, Fushimi wasn’t willing to try ice skating (or in his words, “delude myself into thinking I can balance on a couple of knives just so everyone can laugh when I do the inevitable and fall on my face”), and tourist attractions would have been too crowded.
</p>
<p>A part of Seri did have to wonder why she was doing this. After all, Fushimi was right, it wasn’t really any of her business. Sure, she did think Yata would want a little bit more out of his relationship with Fushimi, but at the same time, she didn’t know for certain, and besides, it wasn’t like Yata was one to keep quiet if he was dissatisfied. But at the same time, she wanted to help them. She wanted them to be happy, and so she wanted to give her support any way she could. They deserved it, after all.
</p>
<p>Happiness wasn’t something that came easily to those at Homra; Seri knew it better than anyone else. Not only could she see the struggles they currently had in trying to maintain normal lives, she could also see what sorts of trials and tribulations they’d had in past lives, and without exception, everyone at Homra had certainly seen more than their share of misfortune in their pasts. Seri alone could see those pasts, and so she felt it was up to her to keep their pasts from being their futures, as was often the case with the reincarnations she witnessed. A person who was kind to a fault stayed kind in their next life. An abusive spouse from the past was arrested for domestic violence in the present. Someone who spent their life fighting ghosts got involved with ghosts again. The cycle just kept repeating, unless it was broken. And while the people at Homra seemed to have a natural inclination to fight their fates, only Seri could see for certain what they needed to escape.
</p>
<p>By now, Seri wasn’t all that worried about most of the people at Homra (or at least, she wasn’t worried about them being dragged around and made miserable by fate. One couldn’t help but worry about someone as hapless as Totsuka could be at times after all). For instance, Reisi’s ability had evolved from his past life, where he could only see the future if a disaster would occur, and Shiro was free of the politics that had gotten his previous incarnation killed. Mikoto had his family and boyfriends to temper him, and Kusanagi had Anna’s protection, and Anna was surrounded by people who accepted her. Overall, their circumstances were different enough from before that they could be okay. But there were still the ones that worried her, namely the two she was currently trying to help.
</p>
<p>At first glance, Seri had thought that the only real similarities between Yata’s past life and his current one were the presence of ghosts and misfortune. She’d of course pitied him with his inability to resist ghosts, until little by little, she’d finally realized that he probably would choose not to resist ghosts even if he was actually capable of such a thing. Because deep down, Yata still cared about the ghosts he encountered, even as he feared them. And while it was just a guess, Seri was willing to bet that he felt that way because his past life had been beloved by spirits and ghosts- a bond that had resulted in death when his village had thought that sacrificing someone with spiritual powers would end a drought that had befallen them. A part of Yata that he couldn’t sense himself still saw ghosts as dear friends, and would never let him abandon them, no matter what it cost him. Maybe no one else would sacrifice him this time around, but that didn’t mean Yata wouldn’t sacrifice himself, so Seri kept an eye on him, hoping to protect him.
</p>
<p>As much as Seri worried about Yata, Fushimi was even worse. Previously, he’d been a shaman, but had been accused of black magic and run out of town. Afterwards, he’d opted to live a solitary life, eschewing human contact, which had made him easy prey for the bandits that had killed him. His bitterness towards humanity had carried over into his current life, as evidenced by his general dislike of people. While he was learning to open up, Seri still feared he might easily revert back into the hermit-like ways that had gotten him killed before.
</p>
<p>All in all, Seri had been happy to see the two start a relationship. With any luck, Fushimi’s presence in Yata’s life might make the redhead less likely to put himself at risk, while Yata’s presence in Fushimi’s life would most likely keep the bespectacled medium from isolating himself. They’d help each other break their cycles, and if they also found happiness in their relationship, all the better. 
</p>
<p>So yes, she was probably sticking her nose where it didn’t belong by insisting on this. But she did think it wasn’t entirely unappreciated. Over the past year, she’d spent just enough time around Fushimi that she was beginning to understand him just a bit, and she was reasonably certain that he was less annoyed by her intervention today and more embarrassed. After all, if he was truly opposed to her help, he probably wouldn’t even have shown up. At the very least, he would have been much more rude than he was being currently, and he definitely wouldn’t have started looking for date ideas of his own. Besides, she thought that, in a weird way, Fushimi might be having fun, since trying to figure out date plans had become a sort of puzzle or equation to him. 
</p>
<p>Seri’s coffee had already gone cold, and they still had yet to come up with any tolerable ideas. And while she didn’t want to accept defeat, she was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t time to give up the ghost, if one would pardon the pun. Maybe she would just have to find some other way to help them out (and no, Douhan, helping those two would <i>not</i> involve abducting Yata and leaving him tied up in the buff in Fushimi’s apartment). 
</p>
<p>Before Seri could reluctantly suggest admitting the futility of their task, however, Fushimi once again turned his phone towards her so she could see the screen, saying, “How ‘bout this?” Seri scanned the web page he had left open, and nodded slowly as she took in the details.
</p>
<p>“Yes, I think that could work,” she mused. “I’m a bit surprised that you’re suggesting it, since I wouldn’t expect you to enjoy such an activity, but I think Yata-kun will certainly have fun.”
</p>
<p>“It does seem rather annoying,” Fushimi drawled. “But I can already picture Misaki’s face every time he loses, which should make things worth it.”
</p>
<p>“On second thought, maybe it isn’t such a good idea,” Seri said wryly, but she was mostly joking. 
</p>
<p>“Too late, we’re doing it,” Fushimi said, then quickly added, “The date. We’re going with this for the date.”
</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t even think of suggesting you meant anything else,” Seri informed him primly, lying through her teeth. 
</p>
<p>“Sure you wouldn’t,” Fushimi scoffed.
</p>
<p>“So are you planning on surprising him with this, or letting him know in advance?” Seri asked, strategically changing the subject.
</p>
<p>“Hm, advance notice would be advisable so he knows how to dress, but…” Fushimi mused.
</p>
<p>“But?” Seri prompted.
</p>
<p>“But surprising him would give me yet another tactical advantage,” Fushimi smirked.
</p>
<p>“Right, guess I’d better text him then,” Seri said, pretending to open a new message on her phone.
</p>
<p>“Don’t spoil my fun,” Fushimi chided.
</p>
<p>“I won’t,” Seri admitted, laying her phone down so he could see for himself that it had only been a ruse. “But my word, you two sure have an unusual way of conducting your relationship.”
</p>
<p>“Unusual or not, it works for us,” Fushimi replied, shrugging. “And it’s not like either of us has any clue what ‘usual’ constitutes,” he added in a mumble.
</p>
<p>“Yes, I suppose neither of you has had much opportunity for experiencing normalcy,” Seri admitted. “And I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, I was just teasing you for being so competitive. But I know the two of you can cooperate well when you need to, so I suppose I can hardly fault you for a little friendly competition.”
</p>
<p>“Who said anything about friendly?” Fushimi asked, grinning evilly.
</p>
<p>“Don’t make me sic his found-family on you,” Seri replied, arranging her face into the serious expression that had made her the school poker champ back in high school.
</p>
<p>“Geh,” Fushimi grimaced.
</p>
<p>“Okay, so now that we’ve decided on an activity, let’s figure out a date and time,” Seri said, relenting.
</p>
<p>Thankfully, figuring out the details of the date plan was a much faster process than actually coming up with a suitable idea, and before long, the plan had been finalized, and the two of them were pushing in their chairs as they prepared to leave.
</p>
<p>“By the way,” Fushimi began, and Seri wondered what insidious bit of blackmail she was about to be hit with (an unfortunate side effect of living with Douhan). She almost tripped when he followed up with an awkward, “Thanks. For this. Helping me out, I mean.”
</p>
<p>It took Seri a moment to get over her shock, but then she smiled warmly. “No problem,” she told him. “I’m glad to have helped.”
</p>
<p>As Fushimi turned away to take his emptied coffee cup to the trash can, the past life hovering at his side made eye contact with Seri, and nodded slowly at her, and Seri’s breath caught in her throat. Generally speaking, past lives just hovered near their current selves, inert. Seri had never been sure why this was- were their minds stuck in the time they’d lived in, were they disinterested in a world they couldn’t interact with, she didn’t know. It was very rare that past lives acted on their own, so rare that Seri had only seen it happen about a dozen times in her life, and never had a past life acknowledged her. She stood there, dumbfounded, for a long moment, trying to process what just happened, before she noticed that Fushimi had already reached the trash can and was holding the flap open for her, waiting with a raised eyebrow.
</p>
<p>“You coming?” he asked.
</p>
<p>“What? Oh, yes, sorry,” Seri replied, quickly gathering herself and following after him. As they left the coffee shop, however, she couldn’t help but think that maybe she wasn’t the only one who knew what Fushimi and Yata needed to break away from after all. But even so, her help was appreciated by them, both their present selves, and their past.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like the way Awashima was portrayed here makes her seem a bit like Emma Woodhouse, and that thought makes me vaguely want a Jane Austen-themed au. Pride and Prejudice with Homra and Scepter 4 as the Bennet family and the Bingleys/Darcys maybe? <br/>...I probably should stop thinking about this before it becomes yet another item on my list of fics I want to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Dates can be Fun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The date! And plot, because I've been waiting for this to happen since TGTFU (I never noticed before how awkward that abbreviation is, yeesh). I hope y'all enjoy this, and sorry if it's super obvious, but the only ideas I could come up with for their date were this (see chapter) or paintball, and surprising someone with a paintball date seems like kinda a dick move since people dress up for dates but dress down for paintball. <br/>In other news, I realized it's already been over a year since TGTFU finished, and I'm only 11 chapters into this, yet I rattled out more than 30 chapters of TGTFU in only 11 months. Sorry things have been so slow. 2020 man. It's been one hell of a year. Emphasis on the hell.<br/>Anyway, merry Christmas if you celebrate it, if you celebrate some other holiday then I hope you enjoy that, and if holidays aren't your thing just have a good day.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time the date rolled around, Saruhiko was beginning to regret everything. Whether it was his decision on the location, the fact that he’d suggested this hullabaloo in the first place, having a boyfriend, being involved with Homra, or even having been born, he regretted it all. He was dreading everything this day would entail, and wanted nothing more than to feign being sick so he had an excuse to stay home. Of course, with Misaki being the fusspot he was, it would hardly be a peaceful stay at home, but it still sounded like a better date than this.
</p><p>But one look at Misaki’s excited face when he saw what they’d be doing threw all that regret and dread out the window. This was probably the best decision Saruhiko had ever made.
</p><p>“Laser tag? Saruhiko, that’s awesome!” Misaki exclaimed. “I thought we’d just watch a few movies or something, this is great!”
</p><p>“I figured you could use a chance to burn off some of your overabundant energy,” Saruhiko drawled, mentally making a note to see if there were any coffee brands that involved bean paste flavors so he could give Seri the thanks she deserved. He owed her big time for helping him out with this.
</p><p>“Psht, like you don’t wanna try it too,” Misaki snorted, and Saruhiko supposed that to a certain extent, Misaki was right. He did want to try it. With Misaki. So they could compete. And he could absolutely win. Honestly, he thought he’d want to try most things with those kinds of circumstances. Otherwise, hell no he didn’t want to try it. 
</p><p>The two of them went inside and got their equipment and then sat through the mandatory briefing on rules and safety, much of which struck Saruhiko as being common sense. Then again, considering he was there with Misaki, he supposed he could understand why they had to sit through such a tedious thing. 
</p><p>When they were finally allowed to go enter the laser tag area, Misaki turned to Saruhiko and said, “Don’t come crying to me when I beat your ass, Saru.”
</p><p>“Oh?” Saruhiko drawled, rejoicing inside because he’d been hoping for such a lead in. “If you’re so confident about winning, why not make a little bet?”
</p><p>“Sure thing!” Misaki grinned.
</p><p>“In that case, loser bottoms when we get around to our first time,” Saruhiko said. Not that he particularly cared about positions, he just figured it would save them some time when that eventuality came to be. He could easily imagine Misaki making a big production about things, and enough awkward fumbling around over it that the mood would be killed, so it would be better to settle it in advance in a way that they’d both accept.
</p><p>“I’ll try to be gentle on your ass then,” Misaki smirked.
</p><p>“Worry about your own,” Saruhiko warned, and promptly tagged Misaki, claiming the first point for himself.
</p><p>From there, things went about as expected. Misaki got the next few hits, as Saruhiko needed to take some time to familiarize himself with the layout of the various obstacles and hiding spots of the laser tag arena. Once he had a good idea of the floorplan, however, he once again took the lead by finding ways to ambush Misaki and lead him into traps. Towards the end, Misaki began to get more points again, thanks to his greater stamina, but overall Saruhiko managed to win by a few points. Still, his greatest victory had to be Misaki’s ear-to-ear grin, or perhaps even the fact that Saruhiko had enjoyed himself too, and had a sore jaw from smiling as well.
</p><p>After a few hours of laser tag, the two of them were out of time, and so they reluctantly turned in their gear and Saruhiko began to wonder if they shouldn’t do this again sometime. He supposed they could bring the rest of the motley crew along as well, and then he and Misaki could team up to try and destroy everyone else, but he also liked the way it had been today, with just the two of them. And while it pained him to admit, he supposed he did sort of marginally understand just a little bit why people bothered with going out of their way to plan dates. 
</p><p>Apparently Misaki was thinking along the same lines, because when they left, he bounded a few steps then paused to stretch, reaching one arm straight up while the other made a box around his head, then turned back to Saruhiko with a grin on his face.
</p><p>“Man, that was fun!” he gushed. “We gotta do shit like this more often.” He paused, his grin falling, and added, “Unless you didn’t like it. I mean, I had fun, but if you didn’t then-”
</p><p>“Misaki, relax,” Saruhiko cut him off. “It was entertaining enough.”
</p><p>“Which is your way of saying you had tons of fun, right?” Misaki asked, leaning in. It was a little annoying, but his grin was back, so Saruhiko would tolerate it. Besides, it did make a pretty good opportunity for him to swoop down and plant a quick kiss on Misaki’s lips.
</p><p>“I don’t know about tons,” Saruhiko drawled as Misaki flushed crimson over the kiss. “I think it was only a few kilograms of fun.”
</p><p>“Hah?” Misaki gaped, transitioning from embarrassed to pugnacious in less than a millisecond. “What the hell kind of nerd shit are you talking about now? It’s not literally a ton of fun, asshole.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, at least you admitted you had fun.”
</p><p>“Did I? I must be getting sick,” Saruhiko deadpanned back. Misaki shoved him sideways for it, and Saruhiko couldn’t help but laugh.
</p><p>“Sick of being a killjoy, maybe,” Misaki teased.
</p><p>“Actually, I was thinking more like lovesick, which is entirely your fault,” Saruhiko informed him.
</p><p>“Heh, I’ll take credit for that,” Misaki grinned. “So what now? I mean, we <i>did</i> make that bet, but, uh…”
</p><p>“We don’t have to do anything like that if you don’t want to,” Saruhiko sighed, realizing it should have occurred to him that Misaki would take their bet as being an immediate thing.
</p><p>“I-it’s not that I don’t <i>want</i> to,” Misaki mumbled, blushing profusely. “It’s just… I dunno, I’m kinda hungry right now, and also Mikoto was teasing me about losing my virginity- Whatever, can we not talk about this?” he asked, shuffling in place.
</p><p>“You’re the one who brought it up,” Saruhiko pointed out. “You said you were hungry?” he added.
</p><p>“Yeah!” Misaki replied with too much enthusiasm. “Why don’t we stop somewhere to eat?”
</p><p>“Do you really want an answer to that?” Saruhiko asked, cocking an eyebrow. Food was a subject that had caused arguments in the past for them, since Misaki thought Saruhiko should be eating a lot more of things he did not like and would not touch with a ten-foot pole. 
</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” Misaki said confidently. Rather than reassuring Saruhiko, it made him feel apprehensive. “Let’s go back to Homra, I’ll make us something to eat.”
</p><p>“Better you than me,” Saruhiko commented.
</p><p>“Heh,” Misaki laughed once, then paled as he genuinely thought about Saruhiko trying to cook. One of the reasons food was such a quick argument trigger was due to the fact that cooking was something that Saruhiko didn’t do. Partly because it was one of the few things he was actually bad at, and partly because he didn’t see the point. Why waste time laboriously preparing a meal for hours on end when he could order out or buy a prepackaged microwave meal that was ready in a matter of minutes? Or better yet, he could buy nutrition bars that needed no more preparation than unwrapping. So if Saruhiko was the type of person to cause canned soup to explode all over his stove, that was just all the more reason <i>not</i> to learn to cook.
</p><p>The two of them got into Saruhiko’s car and drove back to the bar, with Saruhiko mentally sighing over the fact that they always ended up here, even on a date. And it wasn’t like he could suggest they go back to his place, since he hadn’t cleaned recently and he only had said prepackaged meals and nutrition bars at home which would surely merit him a lecture, and Misaki’s place was out as well since Mikoto and Anna would be there. Still, it’d be worth it to eat Misaki’s cooking. There hadn’t been very many occasions where Saruhiko had gotten the chance to sample Misaki’s cooking, but each time had been worth it, even if Misaki did try and force Saruhiko to eat things he’d rather not.
</p><p>When they arrived at the bar, Misaki produced a keyring from his pocket to unlock the door, although the door turned out to be unlocked already. They went inside and found Kusanagi had come in early, and was going over some accounting ledgers.
</p><p>“Back so soon?” the bartender teased as Saruhiko and Misaki came in.
</p><p>“I’m making Saru lunch!” Misaki called, already entering the kitchen.
</p><p>“Don’t add any vegetables!” Saruhiko called after him. “And don’t go overboard on the pineapple!”
</p><p>“Of course I’m adding vegetables, they’re good for you!” Misaki retorted. “And whaddaya mean, ‘go overboard on the pineapple’? It’s pineapple, it adds flavor!”
</p><p>“Not all flavors go together,” Saruhiko muttered under his breath. Thankfully, Misaki didn’t hear him, since that was sure to generate an argument, as Misaki seemed to be of the opinion that pineapple went with everything.
</p><p>It took a little while, but eventually Misaki came out of the kitchen with two plates of stew that did, in fact, include pineapple, as well as far more vegetables than Saruhiko would have liked. In other words, the amount of vegetables was greater than “none”. Oh well. He’d just make Misaki buy him dessert later. Ice cream maybe, since it was hot out, or pudding. 
</p><p>As the couple ate, Reisi showed up as well to help Kusanagi with his bookwork. Saruhiko wished the other two men weren’t present, since it would have been nice to talk freely with Misaki without any listeners who might possibly disturb them, but he supposed he should consider it lucky the whole gang wasn’t present. It wasn’t uncommon for Homra to be occupied by the entire crew from early in the day. And besides, Reisi and Kusanagi were being quiet as they worked at Reisi’s usual table, so it wasn’t like they were being a bother. All in all, it was still rather peaceful.
</p><p>Unfortunately, peace never seemed to last for long at Homra, and today was no exception. Just as Saruhiko was finishing up his stew, the bell at the front door jingled, signaling the entry of a person. Everyone in the room looked up to see who it was, wanting to know whether it was an acquaintance or someone who didn’t know how to read a “closed” sign.
</p><p>“Hello there my lovelies, long time no see,” sang the newcomer as he swept dramatically through the door. He was a tall man wearing a lot of tight leather, with hair dyed violet and color contacts to match. He was unfamiliar to Saruhiko, but it seemed everyone else knew him, since they all reacted with distaste. Reacted with distaste meaning Kusanagi sighed heavily, Reisi’s “Oya” was slightly more strained than usual, and Misaki groaned, “Geh, not you guys.” Which made Saruhiko raise an eyebrow, because last he checked, Misaki <i>could</i> count, and there was only one person there, so why had Misaki referred to him as “you guys”?
</p><p>“It seems you’re missing a few faces today,” the man continued. “What a shame. Although there is someone new here,” he continued, zeroing in on Saruhiko in a way that made him wish his ghostly repulsion could be used on the living. “This must be the fabled Saruhiko-chan we heard about. Nice to meet you, we’ll have to interview you sometime for the site.”
</p><p>“Site?” Saruhiko asked, recoiling slightly in disgust.
</p><p>“Jungle,” the man said, like that explained anything. “It’s our blog, where we examine the activities of alleged psychics and mediums for credibility.”
</p><p>“They’re skeptics,” Kusanagi chipped in drily. “They don’t deny the existence of ghosts and mediums per se, but they do doubt people like us who make a business of dealing with such things, so they try and expose fraudsters by accompanying them to allegedly haunted locales.”
</p><p>“Annoying,” Saruhiko muttered.
</p><p>“You have no idea,” Misaki growled.
</p><p>“No need to be so dour, you’ll get wrinkles,” the man replied.
</p><p>“Mishakuji, get to the point,” Kusanagi huffed irritably.
</p><p>“No, no, no,” Mishakuji said. “I’ve told you to call me Yukari, Izumo-chan. We might as well be on first-name basis, right?”
</p><p>“How about no?” Kusanagi suggested, gritting his teeth.
</p><p>“So cold,” Yukari sighed. “Anyway, the point is that we’re planning a collaboration next week, inviting some of our psychic associates such as yourselves to come explore a site with us. Would you be interested?”
</p><p>“Like hell we would!” Misaki snapped, at the same time Kusanagi drawled out, “Gee, we already had plans to be busy combing our hair.”
</p><p>“Might I see a guest list?” Reisi said once the rebuttals were finished. Both Misaki and Kusanagi glared at him for his trouble, and Saruhiko was honestly inclined to do the same. He vaguely recalled hearing about Jungle before, from a client he’d found particularly annoying. And this Yukari guy was getting on his nerves a bit too.
</p><p>“I’ll ask Nagare-chan to send it to you.” Yukari replied.
</p><p>“Much obliged,” Reisi said. “We’ll let you know our final answer once we have consulted that.”
</p><p>“Don’t keep us waiting too long,” Yukari said with a wink that made Saruhiko want to gag. Or vomit, but that would be a waste of the lunch Misaki had made. Thankfully, after that Yukari gave a finger-flutter wave goodbye, and swept out of the bar. A collective sigh of relief was issued by all four men in the bar.
</p><p>“So, that guy…” Saruhiko said, prodding for information.
</p><p>“You could say he and his cohorts are our worst frenemies,” Reisi said mildly.
</p><p>“In other words, they’re worth fostering a good relationship with, but we really don’t like them,” Kusanagi said. “Any of them. I doubt you’d like meeting the other two any better.”
</p><p>“Why, are they as…” Saruhiko trailed off, trying to find a word to describe the impression Yukari had made. Flamboyant came to mind, but it seemed a little more boisterous than Yukari had been. Dramatic? Annoying? Posturing? Not finding a suitable word, Saruhiko settled for a vague wave of his hand towards the door.
</p><p>“They’re fucking worse,” Misaki growled. “One’s a goddamn robot, and the other’s a shitty brat who’s always mouthing off.”
</p><p>“You’re just mad because he keeps trying to pretend that he sees ghosts behind you,” Kusanagi mumbled.
</p><p>“Oya, I was under the impression Yata-kun’s dislike of Sukuna-kun stemmed from the fact that he has fallen for said tricks nearly a dozen times, and because Sukuna-kun keeps referring to him as ‘the fraidy-cat’,” Reisi said. “And Sukuna-kun’s apparent infatuation with Anna-chan certainly doesn’t seem to help.”
</p><p>“One of these days I’ll fuckin’ murder you,” Misaki muttered.
</p><p>“I look forward to it,” Reisi replied. Alarmingly enough, he seemed serious. “I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to view our business dealings from the other side, so to speak.”
</p><p>“How about no murder, and you stop being so morbid,” Kusanagi interjected, addressing the second part towards Reisi, who merely smiled.
</p><p>“If you murder him, he’ll probably possess you just to try it out,” Saruhiko pointed out. “Not to mention you’d go to jail and I’d have no one to nag me about nutrition.”
</p><p>“Ah,” Misaki replied, in the sort of tone that could only mean such thoughts had completely failed to occur to him. “Well if I were in jail, I could just leave my body to hang out with you!”
</p><p>“Is it really safe for you to leave your body for extended periods of time?” Saruhiko asked. “You get sick from too much possession, won’t you also get sick from too much projection? Not to mention you’d be wide open for possession. And can you even go that far from your body while projecting?”
</p><p>With each point, Misaki made little “geh” noises to indicate that Saruhiko was hitting home. And maybe it was just weird date vibes hanging over him, but Saruhiko had to admit he found it cute.
</p><p>“Oya, I did not realize there was another here who would consider such thoughts. But worry not, Fushimi-kun, with some experimentation, I’m sure we can discover whether or not the two of you maintaining your relationship whilst Yata-kun is in jail is viable.”
</p><p>“Or I can help him hide your body and no one goes to jail,” Saruhiko mused darkly. “Sorry, but I have no intention of putting my boyfriend’s health at risk by using him as a test subject.”
</p><p>“For the record, if this actually does happen- which it had better not- I am not being anyone’s alibi,” Kusanagi announced. “Also, may I remind you two that if you kill him, you’ll have his two pissed off boyfriends out for your blood.”
</p><p>“Ah shit,” Misaki groaned. Saruhiko clicked his tongue.
</p><p>“Whatever,” Saruhiko muttered. “So? Why aren’t we turning them down just yet?” he asked Reisi.
</p><p>“I sensed that there is a good chance that we will deeply regret not attending, however I cannot be certain unless we know who all is attending,” Reisi replied, his smile vanishing as his eyes went hooded and his tone became grave. “I shall of course let you know more when I have obtained all the information I need.”
</p><p>“I’m pretty sure we’ll deeply regret it if we <i>do</i> attend, but I’ll take your word for it,” Kusanagi sighed.
</p><p>After that, things began to fall more into the usual routine. After they finished eating, Misaki took their dishes to the kitchen to wash them, and Saruhiko tagged along rather than stick around with just Kusanagi and Reisi. Yes Kusanagi was the most sane person at Homra and Reisi was the most intelligent other than Saruhiko himself, but sometimes Kusanagi was a little too rational, and Reisi just talked in riddles. And besides, by accompanying Misaki, he could make Misaki jump by running a finger up his spine, which in turn prompted Misaki to splash him with dishwater, and of course he couldn’t let that stand without grabbing a towel and weaponizing it. Ultimately, they ended up having to refill the sink (which almost overflowed when Saruhiko took the opportunity to distract Misaki with a brief make-out session) and mop the floor since Misaki ended up splashing all the water out, and Saruhiko had to borrow a spare shirt from Misaki’s work locker (it was definitely a good thing Misaki liked his shirts to be baggy), but it was a nice finale to their date, since after that the others began to arrive for work. 
</p><p>For reasons he couldn’t fully explain- maybe he was just in a good enough mood from the date to actually be somewhat social, or maybe he was just curious about what Reisi would say about Yukari’s invitation- Saruhiko ended up sticking around Homra, even helping out a bit as they got ready for the shift. He did his best to ignore the teasing as the others kept trying to pry into his personal business, asking how the date went, and instead focused on the way Misaki reacted to the same questions, since that at least was entertaining. 
</p><p>Thanks to Saruhiko’s help, they finished preparations early, and had about fifteen minutes left to mill about the bar until opening. As if on cue, Reisi’s phone buzzed, and he took it out to look at the text that had just come in. As he pondered it, a frown creased his brow, until finally he lay the phone down with a sigh, stating, “It seems we will need to take Jungle up on that invitation after all,” he informed the room.
</p><p>“What invitation?” Totsuka asked as Mikoto’s jaw audibly clenched at the mention of Jungle. If the redhead had been holding anything, doubtless it would have snapped or shattered.
</p><p>“Mishakuji stopped by to invite us to an event they’re hosting,” Kusanagi told those who hadn’t been present. “Yata-chan and I were all for refusing, but Reisi’s ability thought that might be a bad idea.”
</p><p>“It is,” Reisi confirmed. “We will need to go, and we will need to contact Shiro-san and have him rescind his refusal as well.”
</p><p>“Unless I get to beat the crap outta those punks, I ain’t goin’,” Mikoto grumbled.
</p><p>“Yes you are,” Reisi insisted firmly, and Mikoto stared at him like he’d grown a second head. The rest of the bar seemed surprised as well, probably since, from what Saruhiko had seen, Reisi rarely got bossy, instead preferring to persuade people to do his bidding, or, barring that, use such circular reasoning that they caved in since it was easier than arguing with him. For him to give such a direct order was unfathomable. “We all need to be there on this one, because if even one person is missing, then there will be fatalities.”
</p><p>There was a collective gasp at that, and Kusanagi breathed, “Oh dear heavens, what on Earth have those idiots at Jungle stumbled upon this time?”
</p><p>“I cannot say,” Reisi replied, even though it had probably been a rhetorical question. “Only that with the current guest list, fatalities without our presence will be anywhere from 65% to 100%.”
</p><p>“Hey, 100% includes that brat right?” Misaki asked.
</p><p>“It also includes some friends of ours,” Reisi chided sternly. Misaki paled.
</p><p>“And if we go?” Anna asked.
</p><p>“It depends,” Reisi replied. “There are a few people who have yet to give answers or have given uncertain answers, and they could certainly affect the outcome. Ideally, we’d simply convince Jungle not to host this event, or to change the site. Since that is unlikely, the next best thing would be to have some of these ‘yeses’ become ‘nos’ and some of these ‘nos’ become ‘yeses’. I suggest we do what we can, but as it is, there’s still a high probability that things will not go well for anyone.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Alphabet Squad Loves Gossip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Me: I am going to be more timely with chapters!<br/>Me two months later, when I have yet to get a new chapter up: ... oops.<br/>This chapter is written in Yata's POV.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Misaki didn’t think he’d ever had such a good day go bad so quickly. Fucking Jungle. They just had to ruin everything. Like when they’d first started doing business as Homra, and then Jungle had shown up wanting to interview them and tag along on some cases. Not that the whole “chasing ghosts all the time” thing had really been paradise or anything, but it was still better before Jungle came around than after. Or when they had to go deal with some ghost that had gotten all pissy because of Jungle dicking around in the ghost’s area of activity. That’d happened a couple times now, and it was never fun.
</p><p>But did they really have to ruin a super amazing date that was way better than Misaki would have expected of something planned by Saruhiko? Not that Misaki doubted Saru, it was just that he knew his boyfriend’s idea of fun and his idea fun didn’t always match and since Saruhiko’s version of fun tended to be a little more nerdy and involve avoiding people, Misaki hadn’t counted on anything more than just some quality time together. And honestly, that woulda been fine. But Saruhiko had gone above and beyond, and Misaki had been ready to confidently say that it was the best day of his life, except then fucking Jungle had to show up, and that fucker Reisi just <i>had</i> to take their stupid goddamn case.
</p><p>So yeah, Misaki was just a little bit pissed about that.
</p><p>He’d kinda hoped Saruhiko would stick around during the shift, but he ended up leaving pretty soon after Reisi’s announcement. Sure, just sitting around the whole time the bar was open would probably be boring for Saruhiko (although Reisi did it all the time, but Reisi was weird), but they’d had such a good time that morning, that Misaki really hated to end the day on a sour note.
</p><p>At the end of the shift, Reisi called everyone together to have a meeting about trying to convince people to go or not go to the event Jungle was hosting. He’d apparently spent the evening looking over the guest list to do his thing and figure out what the best thing to do was. Personally, Misaki still thought simply not going was the best thing to do since Jungle was involved, but it wasn’t like he wanted anyone to die, and if Jungle had a genuine site this time- sometimes they didn’t- then someone needed to help the ghosts. Though of course Saruhiko would say that it wasn’t worth risking themselves over some ghosts.
</p><p>“Having contemplated this guest list, I have determined that, unfortunately, the ersatz psychic organizations on the list will not be persuaded to reject their invites, despite our best efforts,” Reisi began. “However, there are still plenty of people we will need to visit, so I suggest we divvy up the visitations as follows: first, Anna should go talk to Shiro, and together they should approach the Ashinaka shrine about potentially sending one of their miko.” Reisi paused, waiting for Anna’s response. She nodded in agreement, and he continued. “Next up, I would like Kusanagi-kun and Tatara to stop by Crystal-san’s shop, however, don’t bother trying to convince her, she’d just kick you out, which would keep you from obtaining her help in tracking down Tatara’s friend, Maria.”
</p><p>“I’m not sure she’d like you calling her my friend, Rei-rei,” Tatara replied, laughing. “She’s not big on friends. Kinda like Saru-kun.”
</p><p>Misaki bristled at the idea that Tatara’s psycho and borderline homicidal friend was anything like his boyfriend. They were way different.
</p><p>“Perhaps you are right, however the point still stands that you are the only one capable of convincing her to take part in this event, and we rather need her,” Reisi replied.
</p><p>“Okaaaay,” Tatara sang, and Kusanagi nodded as well.
</p><p>“As for you two,” Reisi said, turning to Mikoto and Misaki, “I’d like you to handle Alphabet Squad.”
</p><p>“Not like them to turn somethin’ like this down,” Mikoto mumbled, and Misaki had to agree. Alphabet Squad wasn’t the most powerful group of psychics, but they were also the types that couldn’t back down from a challenge. Even the most even-tempered of them would throw all caution to the wind rather than back down.
</p><p>“They didn’t,” Reisi replied. “Your job is to persuade them not to participate.”
</p><p>“Huh? Why not?” Misaki asked, because he liked the guys from Alphabet Squad and working with them would have been one of the few good things about this shitty event.
</p><p>“All I can say for certain is that the highest casualty rates occur when they are involved,” Reisi stated. “While I can conjecture as to why, I do not want to spread potentially false information. Suffice to say, in this one instance, we need them to not assist.”
</p><p>“Che,” Misaki grunted. “Fine.”
</p><p>“Thank you,” Reisi said, as if Misaki was doing it for him. “As for myself, I shall be visiting Scepter 4 to negotiate with them regarding their participation.”
</p><p>“Sounds like we’ve all got a busy day tomorrow then,” Kusanagi mused.
</p><p>“Unfortunately, some of these dealings may take more than one day. Yours in particular,” Reisi told him.
</p><p>“That doesn’t change the fact that tomorrow will be busy,” Kusanagi countered. “A busy day to begin a busy week.”
</p><p>Misaki did not like the sound of that. If they were too busy, he might not spend much time with Saru, and, well… he liked spending time with Saru. He was dating the guy for a reason! Sure, Saruhiko could be really pessimistic and kinda an ass and he was pretty harsh when it came to ghosts- not that he was all that much nicer to the living- and it could get annoying how good he was at everything, but despite all that Misaki thought Saruhiko was a pretty cool guy. He was pretty funny at times, and it was really cute whenever bits of emotion broke through Saruhiko’s grumpy face- something which was happening more and more often, but never got any less amazing to Misaki. So if they had a busy week ahead of them because of this shitty Jungle thing, then Misaki really wanted to punch those Jungle jerks, at least once.
</p><p>The next morning, Anna called Shiro to talk to him about the Jungle thing, and to ask him to send one of the rabbits over to take Misaki and Mikoto to Alphabet Squad. Her call didn’t take long, and it was still far earlier than Misaki liked when they found themselves on their way to visit their friends. He’d kinda thought about fighting Mikoto for the back seat, partly because he woulda liked to sleep a bit more, and partly because, even though he’d grown up with them and all, the rabbits still kinda freaked him out. They kinda reminded him of store mannequins in a way, where you got this feeling that if you didn’t keep your eyes on them, they might sneak closer and closer until it was too late for you. He supposed it was because they were the more traditional sort of shikigami, bound to service by a contract that barred them from harming anyone, but not necessarily happy about it.
</p><p>When they arrived at Alphabet Squad, there was a blonde foreigner behind the front desk, and Misaki grimaced. Eric. He still wasn’t sure how he’d managed to get on the blonde’s bad side, but ever since their first meeting Eric had been nothing but insulting to Misaki. He respected Kusanagi-san and looked up to Mikoto, and like literally everyone he was fond of Anna, but he was always a dick to Misaki.
</p><p>“Yo,” Mikoto greeted, since it wasn’t like Misaki was about to.
</p><p>“Hey Mikoto-san,” Eric greeted. “Chihuahua,” he added after a distinct pause, as if the stupid nickname weren’t bad enough. Misaki really needed to get Saru to teach him some good insults to throw back at this guy.
</p><p>“You guys busy?” Mikoto asked, glancing at Misaki to make sure he wasn’t about to start a fistfight. 
</p><p>“Nope,” Eric replied. “Most of our business comes in at the end of the school day. Why?”
</p><p>“Gotta talk to ya ‘bout somethin’,” Mikoto grunted. “All of ya.”
</p><p>“Alright, come on back,” Eric said, gesturing for them to go past the doorway opposite the entrance that led from their “waiting room” (which was really just a front room in a house they ran their business out of) to a hallway that contained open doors leading to “consultation rooms” (various rooms and even a closet that had been repurposed for their business), and a closed door which Misaki knew from past visits led to the basement. It was this door he and Mikoto went through, with Eric following after turning off the business sign. Not surprisingly, all five of the other guys who worked at Alphabet Squad were down there, playing a game of cards as they bided time between customers. 
</p><p>The first person to notice their arrival was Fujishima, Eric’s boyfriend who was actually friendly and therefore could do much better in Misaki’s opinion. He was also a fairly quiet guy, so he just greeted them with an “ah” that the others might have ignored had the last stair not creaked under Misaki’s foot.
</p><p>“Oh hey guys,” Akagi said, placing his cards facedown on the table. The others chorused their own hellos, also placing their cards down.
</p><p>“How’s it going?” Dewa asked.
</p><p>“Hey Yata, you still dating that sourpuss?” Chitose teased.
</p><p>“Hell yeah I am,” Misaki shot back. “I’ll have you know he took me on a really awesome date yesterday.”
</p><p>“Wait, does this mean you finally got laid?” Bandou asked, and the others all grinned as they leaned forward. And right, Misaki had forgotten these guys could be a little nosy. They loved gossip, particularly about that sort of stuff.
</p><p>“It wasn’t like that!” Misaki sputtered. “W-we just went and played lasertag, and then I made him lunch.”
</p><p>“Hard to imagine that guy doing anything that involves exercise,” Dewa commented.
</p><p>“That doesn’t mean anything,” Chitose said. “It’s hard to imagine you exercising, and I know you go to the gym twice a week.” Dewa put him in a headlock rather than reply.
</p><p>“Okay, okay, but do you seriously mean to tell me that your ‘really awesome date’ didn’t involve any sex?” Bandou pressed. “How am I supposed to hear about your sexcapades if you aren’t having any?!”
</p><p>“If ya wanna hear about other people’s sex lives so bad, I could tell ya ‘bout mine,” Mikoto offered.
</p><p>“No thanks, I’d just get depressed,” Bandou groaned. “With him we’d at least get to laugh at how awkward he is, but you have such a perfect relationship that it makes me wanna kill myself.”
</p><p>“In that case, please, tell us all about your sex life,” Eric requested, and Misaki was almost grateful that the blonde was sometimes as much of a dick to other people as he was to Misaki. Almost. He already knew more than he wanted to about Mikoto’s sex life, so he would suffer just as much as Bandou if Mikoto were to start sharing details.
</p><p>“Are you still mad that he ate your cake while he was drunk?” Fujishima asked.
</p><p>“Yes, because I had been looking forward to eating it all day,” Eric shot back
</p><p>“So anyway, what brings you guys here?” Chitose asked over the petty drama, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
</p><p>“Part of the reason this guy only got as far as lunch was ‘cuz Yukari showed up and crashed his date,” Mikoto said, tapping a fist lightly on Misaki’s head.
</p><p>“Oof, that sucks,” Akagi said sympathetically.
</p><p>“So you guys also got invited to that collab?” Dewa asked. “Not surprising.”
</p><p>“Mm, yeah, we did,” Mikoto confirmed. “But Rei says it’s gonna be a bad one. Says you guys need to sit this one out.”
</p><p>“Like hell we’re gonna do that!” Bandou scoffed. “This is Jungle we’re talking about. Those asshats gave us shit ratings, so we’ve gotta get back at ‘em.”
</p><p>“Yeah!” the other guys all agreed.
</p><p>“But you guys’ll probably die if you go!” Misaki insisted. “That fucker Reisi said so, and as much as I hate him, I gotta admit he’s always fucking right.”
</p><p>“‘Nd not jus’ you,” Mikoto added. “Lotta people. He said you’d be some kinda catalyst to make whatever’s there freak. I’d just as soon not get killed by ghosts, if ‘s all the same.”
</p><p>“In that case, I’m checking the flames,” Fujishima announced, standing up abruptly to go upstairs. Upstairs they had multiple fireplaces that they used for their work. In Fujishima’s case, he could discover the answers to yes-or-no questions by staring into the flames. It was fortune-telling at its most basic, but Alphabet Squad had found plenty of use for the talent, among others.
</p><p>Misaki, Mikoto, and the rest of Alphabet Squad trailed after Fujishima, curious about what he’d find in the flames. Probably that Reisi had been right, because he always was. It was probably one of the things that pissed Misaki off most about Reisi, since it meant there was no winning against that guy.
</p><p>Fujishima led the way to the closest fireplace, which was already prepped for starting a fire. He lit the kindling, building up the flames until a merry fire was crackling. It would have been nice in the wintertime, but given that it was pretty much summer already, they were all soon sweating from the combination of the flames and the amount of people in the room. Once the fire was ready, Fujishima knelt in front of it, his eyes closed as he focused on the question he wanted to ask. After several long seconds he opened his eyes again, and the flames immediately turned pitch black and belched a cloud of smoke that filled the room, causing everyone to cough. As soon as the smoke was released, the flames then extinguished themselves, leaving Fujishima looking ashen (both literally and figuratively).
</p><p>“What the fuck?” Akagi coughed.
</p><p>“Never seen that before,” Eric wheezed.
</p><p>“Well shit,” was all Fujishima said.
</p><p>“Oi, someone open a window already!” Dewa ordered hoarsely, trying not to cough.
</p><p>“On it,” Bandou gasped, lunging to the nearest window and wrenching it open before. The smoke began to waft out, and he moved to open the next window as well, while Chitose went to another room to open a window and create a cross-draft that would help the smoke dissipate that much faster. Strangely enough, as soon as the smoke crossed the window sills, it vanished without a trace, which made Misaki nervous. He’d seen plenty of weird shit in his time, but nothing like this. And while he didn’t know much about fortunetelling, he did know enough people who read omens- Shiro, Alphabet Squad, Crystal-san- that he knew how to recognize supernatural code for “bad news” when he saw it.
</p><p>“Good thing you guys took the batteries out of your smoke detectors,” Mikoto commented once the air had cleared.
</p><p>“Had to, Akagi’s cooking sucks,” Chitose rasped as he rejoined them.
</p><p>“That was one time!” Akagi protested.
</p><p>“Yeah, and that one time almost got us in deep shit with the fire department, got us blacklisted by the neighbors, and nearly got us evicted, all for a batch of cookies that were charred beyond recognition,” Eric pointed out.
</p><p>“Well maybe if you guys had thought to figure out what the timer had been for instead of just turning it off…” Akagi muttered.
</p><p>“Well maybe if you hadn’t decided that when you had cookies in the oven was a great time to take a major dump…” Chitose retorted.
</p><p>“Mm, yeah, that sounds like a bad idea,” Mikoto agreed. “Kinda like ya guys comin’ on this Jungle thing.”
</p><p>“Yeah yeah, I’ll call ‘em later and tell ‘em we’re out,” Chitose said, flapping a hand.
</p><p>“Or I could just call them now,” Dewa replied with an eye roll as he was already putting his phone to his ear. He left the room as the call was connecting, probably because the guys at Alphabet Squad weren’t exactly known for letting phone calls go unimpeded. Misaki had once made the mistake of calling his mom when the guys were around, and Bandou and Akagi had seen fit to start moaning and groaning like they were having sex, and when Misaki had gone to tell them to knock it off, Chitose had picked up the phone and started trying to flirt with Misaki’s mom. Which, ew. 
</p><p>“Guess that means we can tell Izzy and Rei we did our part,” Mikoto said, stretching his arms above his head.
</p><p>“What, you guys aren’t sticking around?” Chitose asked.
</p><p>“What? No! You can’t leave!” Bandou protested. “We’ve barely even made fun of Yata-san yet!”
</p><p>“Fuck you!” Misaki retorted.
</p><p>“At least he’d be getting some if that happened,” Fujishima commented, causing Bandou to blush. Bandou may have tried to act a casanova, but the fact of the matter was, it was no secret that he hadn’t had very many bed partners himself. 
</p><p>“Unlike Yata,” Eric added.
</p><p>“Yup, we’re leaving,” Misaki growled, spinning and grabbing Mikoto’s arm to drag him to the front door.
</p><p>“What’s the hurry?” Mikoto teased, but he didn’t resist being dragged, which was good because Misaki wasn’t quite strong enough to actually drag Mikoto.
</p><p>When they got outside, the rabbit was waiting silently as ever. They asked to be driven to the bar, since they figured they should check if any of the others had finished up as well, and if not, they could wait around until everyone arrived. The alternative was to go home, which would have been fine, but in some ways, Homra felt more like “home” to Misaki. The house they lived in was nice and all, and it was full of their stuff and it was safe from ghosts, but Homra was full of fond memories. And some not-so-fond ones, but Misaki preferred to think of the better times, thank you. Homra was where they always met up, where they worked from, where they spent most of their time. It was where he’d met Saru, and where Saru might show up to find out what all was happening with the stupid Jungle thing, and where Misaki felt less like a freak and more like an actual person. At home, it was hard to forget about the sheer number of protections on the place: the running water, the iron, the silver, the plants, the salt, the fudas. But at Homra, the protections were fairly minimal, and so Misaki sometimes forgot they were there and that he needed them. 
</p><p>The bar was empty when they arrived, but they had keys so they let themselves in. Not surprisingly, Mikoto went straight to his couch to nap, and Misaki silently started a lecture monologue about how Mikoto wouldn’t be so tired if he didn’t stay up half the night painting and shit. He didn’t say it out loud though, since he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Staying up late was one of the things Mikoto was stubborn about, so he wouldn’t listen no matter who scolded him. Any of the people he usually listened to- Anna, Totsuka-san, stupid Reisi, Miwa-san, Pops when he was alive, and even Kusanagi-san and Misaki himself to a certain extent- could yell at Mikoto until they were blue in the face and he’d just stick a finger in his ear and mumble something about creative juices flowing better at night and needing to finish things while he was still in the right mood. Misaki, meanwhile, grabbed his portable console from the break room where he’d left it to charge and sat down to play his game until the others came back.
</p><p>Over the next few hours, Anna and Reisi both returned, and Misaki texted Saruhiko no less than eight times complaining of boredom. He only got one reply, after the sixth text, which merely asked what he expected Saruhiko to do about it. 
</p><p>About half an hour before the bar would’ve opened, they all got a text from Kusanagi-san, saying they were going to just close for the week because he was “too tired after dealing with this bullshit”. It wasn’t for another hour after that before he and Totsuka returned, which really made Misaki wonder what exactly had happened. Crystal-san, the fortuneteller Kusanagi-san and Totsuka-san had been going to see, could be somewhat difficult to deal with, but there was no way she would have taken up so much of their time. Sure, sometimes she liked to mess with people a bit, but she was usually pretty decent overall. Though maybe her ability was being particularly vague. Crystal-san had yet another form of fortunetelling and seeing bits of the future. Her ability worked somewhat similarly to an onmyouji’s divination, where they learned to read the omens that occurred naturally within the world and interpret them to be applied to specific people or circumstances. Crystal-san could do the same thing, but she could also force omens to occur. Theoretically, she could use just about anything, but she found she worked best with “the classics”: a crystal ball (hence her chosen name) and tarot cards.
</p><p>“I hope you lot had better luck than we did,” Kusanagi growled as he stormed into the bar, Totsuka trailing along like a balloon.
</p><p>“All done,” Mikoto said from where he was lying on the couch, raising a hand straight up to give a thumbs up.
</p><p>“Kukuri-san said they’ve been rather busy with their summer festival stuff so they might not be able to make it, but she’ll try and free up some time,” Anna told Kusanagi. 
</p><p>“I had a most fruitful afternoon as well,” Reisi chipped in, smiling in that knowing way of his that made Misaki want to possess him and make him do the chicken dance so that maybe he wouldn’t be so goddamn smug. He didn’t offer details, and no one bothered asking.
</p><p>“Well at least you guys got shit done,” Kusanagi grumbled.
</p><p>“Crystal being difficult?” Mikoto asked.
</p><p>“Not particularly,” Totsuka replied. “She did try to hide from us at first, but once we made it clear that we didn’t want to talk her into coming she was willing enough to help us out. But she still had a bit of trouble reading the cards, since Maria-chan is doing some training and her abilities were interfering.”
</p><p>“And of course she’s training out in the middle of fucking nowhere,” Kusanagi grumbled. “We spent all afternoon searching for the right trail, but had no luck, meaning we get to do the same tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’m covered in bug bites, will doubtlessly have sunburn tomorrow, and I think I may have stumbled into some poison ivy at one point. If it turns out that we don’t actually need this bitch, I’m quitting.”
</p><p>“Language,” Totsuka scolded.
</p><p>“Scold me about it when I’m in a more charitable mood,” Kusanagi retorted.
</p><p>“Could we change the topic please?” Anna requested, a hand at her forehead.
</p><p>“Oh, sorry,” Kusanagi mumbled, instantly simmering down.
</p><p>“It’s alright, Izumo, it does sound like you had a very frustrating day,” Anna replied.
</p><p>“Still, I should know better,” Kusanagi insisted. “A bad day doesn’t give me an excuse to go hurting you or being verbally abrasive. I’m sorry I insulted your acquaintance as well, Totsuka.”
</p><p>“You should probably say that to her once we find her,” Totsuka said.
</p><p>“Yeah, I will,” Kusanagi promised. “So, anything else we need to get done?”
</p><p>“Indeed there is,” Reisi said. “I did not mention it sooner, but someone should go talk to Mogura, as he is listed as attending and he is almost guaranteed to be a casualty.”
</p><p>“Ugh,” Misaki groaned. Mogura was an occultist psychic who could put feelings into crystals, which he’d sell as curses or as therapy. He also claimed to sense “the beyond” as he called it, but that part was total bullshit. He also spent most of his time in such pleasant places as musty old basements, caves, mold-filled abandoned subway tunnels, and mucky sewers. Dealing with him was a completely different sort of pain than any of their other contacts.
</p><p>“So who’s gonna-” Misaki began to ask, only to notice that everyone else had already put a forefinger to the tip of their noses. “Oh come on,” he groaned. “Seriously?”
</p><p>“Have fun, kiddo,” Mikoto said.
</p><p>“Like hell I will!” Misaki retorted.
</p><p>“You could always take Saru-kun with you,” Totsuka suggested.
</p><p>Kusanagi snorted. “Yeah, I bet he’d looove that.”
</p><p>“Are you tryna make him break up with me?” Misaki asked.
</p><p>“Of course not,” Anna soothed. “I’m sure Tatara just thought it might make the trip more pleasant for you, and could turn into some quality bonding time with your boyfriend.”
</p><p>“I just had some way cooler quality bonding time with him the other day,” Misaki grumbled.
</p><p>“Yeah, and now that you had the good kind, you gotta have some of the bad kind to make sure it wasn’t a fluke,” Mikoto said.
</p><p>“Mikokki, it doesn’t work like that,” Totsuka said.
</p><p>“Perhaps not, but Mikoto is right that being able to stick together even in unpleasant circumstances is key to a relationship,” Reisi said. “And I do agree that it would be wise to take Saruhiko-kun with you, given that you aren’t the best at navigating Mogura’s usual haunts.”
</p><p>“Shut up, I can totally find that guy,” Misaki huffed.
</p><p>“Suuure you can,” Kusanagi said insincerely. “All the same, now that your boyfriend’s agreed to tag along, are you really gonna let him down by going alone?” He held up his phone to show that he’d gone and texted Saruhiko behind Misaki’s back. The sneak. "Besides, it's not like you can go without someone to fend off any ghosts, right?"
</p><p>“Che, whatever,” Misaki growled. “When Saru’s all pissed from tracking down Mogura, I’m making sure he knows it’s all your guys’s fault.”
</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m sure the two of you will find a way to enjoy yourselves,” Reisi said, again with that smile.
</p><p>“Whatever, I’m gonna make some dinner,” Misaki snapped. “And don’t any of you jerks expect any!”
</p><p>Not that he meant it. Misaki would end up cooking enough for everyone in the end, and they all knew it. Still, he couldn’t just take their crap without firing back- that’d be lame. They could be embarrassing and kinda annoying, but they knew which lines not to cross. Besides, they were his family. And for all his complaining, maybe he was actually a tiny bit grateful they’d decided to send Saru with him. Even if it was going to suck no matter what.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Idk why I like Yubikiri Maria so much but I do. Besides, what little is shown of her strain ability translates pretty well into this au, so I might as well make use of her, right?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Mogura is Annoying</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>What's this? A new chapter in a somewhat timely fashion? :O<br/>Fun fact, when I first started writing this chapter I thought things would happen fairly quickly and that I'd have like half a chapter to try and figure out what to do with. And then things almost ended up spilling over into a second chapter instead.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Okay, so maybe it was a very good thing Kusanagi-san had texted Saru behind Misaki’s back. He hated to admit it, but he would’ve been hopelessly lost by now if Saru weren’t here with him. He still was miffed about it though, since Saruhiko was complaining just as much as Misaki had thought he would, and Misaki couldn’t even blame him.
</p><p>“Remind me again why I agreed to this?” Saruhiko questioned as they trudged through an old subway tunnel. They had already checked two basements Mogura liked with no luck, and if this failed, they’d have to go down to the sewers.
</p><p>“Don’t ask me, I wasn’t gonna drag you through this shit,” Misaki grumbled back. “Hell, I’d rather we just ignore this guy entirely, it’s always such a pain in the ass to track him down.”
</p><p>“Didn’t you say Kusanagi and Totsuka were talking to a fortuneteller yesterday so that they could find someone?” Saruhiko asked. “Why couldn’t they have asked about this guy too?”
</p><p>“Because Reisi didn’t say anything about him sooner, and because he always moves around so much that she probably wouldn’t be able to get a location on him,” Misaki replied irritably.
</p><p>“How the hell does he conduct a business?” Saruhiko scoffed.
</p><p>“Like I fucking know,” Misaki muttered. “We wouldn’t even know about him if Totsuka-san hadn’t had a crystal therapy phase. He’s fucking weird.”
</p><p>“Why am I not surprised Totsuka had a crystal therapy phase?” Saruhiko asked, though it didn’t seem like he was addressing Misaki with the question. “Anyway, we better not spend too much more time down here, my phone is running low on battery. If you’d told me we were going to be spending so much time underground I would’ve brought an actual flashlight.”
</p><p>“No, you would have used that crazy ninja lady as an excuse not to come,” Misaki replied. “And I woulda begged you to find some way she needed me to help out too. She may be scary, but she’s still better than this shit.” He kicked a rock in his path for good measure.
</p><p>“Careful, speak of the Douhan and she’ll somehow show up here,” Saruhiko warned, and Misaki could just hear the grin in his voice. It made Misaki feel a little tingly, like he always did when Saruhiko smiled. He wasn’t sure if it was just that Saru was attractive, or if it was because he really liked being the one to make him smile. 
</p><p>“Hey, if she could help us find this guy…” Misaki grumbled.
</p><p>“Doubtful. Her ability is too limited for this, remember?” Saruhiko pointed out. Misaki didn’t bother to argue that he could barely remember that woman’s name, so there was no way in hell he could be expected to remember the specifics of her ability. “Besides, more likely she’d have sensed your volunteering to be her errand boy.”
</p><p>“I didn’t say that!” Misaki yelped, his voice bouncing in the close space.
</p><p>“Well what else do you think she’d have you doing?” Saruhiko asked. “It’s not like she has much need of a chef or someone with your ghost skills.”
</p><p>“Hey, you never know,” Misaki argued. “Maybe I could let a ghost that was a detective possess me and then I could help out. Or I could get possessed by a murder victim, or-”
</p><p>“We don’t typically deal with murder cases,” Saruhiko interrupted. “That would be the police department’s job. Besides, I thought being possessed by murder victims was particularly unpleasant for you.”
</p><p>Misaki couldn’t argue with that. While he was more capable of dealing with bad dreams than he was as a kid, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t still get plenty of nightmares. How could he not, with some of the things he’d witnessed in the memories of ghosts? He may have gotten past the days where he’d wake up crying from dreams of his birth father or of the ghost who’d possessed him so many times during childhood, but he doubted he’d ever be able to sleep soundly after being possessed by someone who’d died a horrible death.
</p><p>Thankfully, before he could dwell on such thoughts for very long, he was distracted by a shuffling sound, so quiet he almost missed it. Silently, he thanked his mom for his good hearing, and held out an arm to try and stop Saruhiko from moving as well. Considering he’d done that without looking to see where Saruhiko was, it was pretty lucky that he managed to do what he’d intended without accidentally jabbing his boyfriend in the side or missing him entirely.
</p><p>Misaki peered into the dark beyond the reaches of the phone’s flashlight, trying futilely to see into the dark as he listened for any sound other than the occasional drip of water. He wasn’t having much luck though, probably because trying to see a dark area from a lighted one never works well. Light pollution or whatever. He closed his eyes then, listening even more intently, but to no avail.
</p><p>Just when Misaki was beginning to think that what he’d heard had been nothing, just a rat maybe, he heard it again, and yanked Saruhiko’s arm in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, he could just make out the outline of a person.
</p><p>“Found ya,” he grinned, trying to ignore the tinge of guilt he felt when he noticed Saruhiko moving to rub the wrist Misaki had grabbed at. He’d definitely need to make things up to Saru after this was done.
</p><p>What Misaki hadn’t counted on, however, was Mogura turning tail and running away. And now that he thought about it, he did vaguely recall hearing rumors that Mogura might be into some black marketeering or drugs or something, which was part of why he moved around so much. And why he apparently am-scrayed whenever people came looking for him.
</p><p>“Hey wait!” Misaki called, taking off after Mogura. “We’re from Homra, dammit!”
</p><p>If he’d thought that would be enough to make Mogura stop, he’d thought wrong.
</p><p>After a few paces, Misaki slowed to try and listen better, and something grabbed him from behind. He nearly jumped out of his skin (not literally) in surprise, before he realized it was just Saruhiko.
</p><p>“Don’t just run off like that, idiot!” Saruhiko hissed.
</p><p>“Ah, sorry,” Misaki apologized, rubbing the back of his head. He listened some more, but Mogura’s pounding footsteps had either stopped or gone out of range. To make matters worse, there was a junction up ahead, meaning he couldn’t be sure which way Mogura had gone. “Che, lost him,” he muttered.
</p><p>“Considering I never even saw him…” Saruhiko muttered.
</p><p>“He was there, really!” Misaki insisted. He sighed, then groaned, “Man, what a pain. I’m seriously gonna give those guys a piece of my mind when we get back.”
</p><p>If they ever got back, that is. He really had no idea which way to go to get to an exit. But hey, that’s why Saru was with him, right? Even if he <i>had</i> wanted to come alone initially, but what kind of a boyfriend would he be if he dragged Saru into this misery without so much as a second thought?
</p><p>“So what now?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“Well you said your phone is low on battery…” Misaki began.
</p><p>“What about yours?” Saruhiko asked. “Unless you’re trying to say you didn’t bring it with you.”
</p><p>“Nah, I’ve got it,” Misaki replied. “But I haven’t charged it, so it’s probably only got about half battery left.”
</p><p>“Good enough,” Saruhiko said. “We can keep going a bit longer. Which way do you think he will have gone: towards an abandoned station where he can go aboveground, or towards a maintenance tunnel entrance?”
</p><p>“Huh?” Misaki asked.
</p><p>“I have a rough idea where we are,” Saruhiko informed him with a condescending sigh, like explaining this was such a bother and it should be completely obvious. “Given where we entered and how far we’ve gone, the left-hand tunnel should go to the nearest station, while the right-hand tunnel should lead to the site of a collapse. There should be a maintenance entrance down there, however, since I recall this being the side they used when clearing out the wreckage.”
</p><p>“A collapse?” Misaki asked, suddenly feeling a chill crawling up his spine. “D-did anyone, er, y’know-”
</p><p>“Die?” Saruhiko finished. “Unfortunately yes.”
</p><p>“Fuck, that’s probably where he went,” Misaki breathed. “If he didn’t want to talk to us even though I said we’re from Homra, that’s probably where he went. Ghosts slow us down, after all.”
</p><p>“Not with me here they don’t,” Saruhiko replied, striding forward toward the right-hand tunnel.
</p><p>“Hey wait!” Misaki called, scurrying after him. Since Saru had joined Homra, he’d gotten a little less afraid of ghosts, but part of his newfound security came from sticking close to the taller medium. He knew Saruhiko would never let any ghost possess him if it weren’t required for a job, but he still couldn’t help but get nervous if there were ghosts nearby and Saruhiko wasn’t right at his side. He began feeling very glad Saruhiko had stopped him from running ahead just now. How could he have been so stupid?
</p><p>As he fell in step beside Saruhiko, Misaki began looking around nervously. In particular, he found himself looking for any signs of light beyond the pool created by the flashlight, the most classic sign of a ghost. Not that all ghosts glowed, but enough of them did that Misaki still sought it out. He also made himself more aware of his skin, trying to sense that familiar prickle that meant ghosts. At the moment, all he felt was the cool stagnant air of the subway tunnel with its slight dampness, and the familiar “day at the beach” feeling of Saruhiko, though he doubted that would last for long.
</p><p>“You know, I’m not about to let any ghosts get close,” Saruhiko grumbled, and Misaki realized that he had a vice grip on his boyfriend.
</p><p>“Ah, sorry,” he said, releasing the arm he’d unwittingly taken hold of again. Saruhiko clicked his tongue.
</p><p>“It’d be nice if you’d trust me a little more,” Saruhiko muttered. “I may not be Mikoto and Anna, but I can still protect you.”
</p><p>“I know that!” Misaki protested, his voice echoing a bit. “And I do trust you, really! It’s just… you made it sound like we’re walking into a place with a bunch of ghosts, and even if you keep them away, I’m still gonna feel stuff, y’know. I won’t get possessed thanks to you, but I’m gonna feel that crash or whatever, and that’s…” Misaki trailed off, a lump in his throat. 
</p><p>“Then hold my hand instead of making it hard for us to walk,” Saruhiko decided, and Misaki felt the proposed limb groping for his own. He gratefully took it, feeling warmth spread through him that had nothing to do with his medium abilities. Yeah, he trusted Saru alright.
</p><p>“It wouldn’t kill you to just say you wanna hold hands,” Misaki teased. 
</p><p>“I can just as easily pull the ghosts in as keep them away,” Saruhiko reminded, but Misaki knew he was just being a shit.
</p><p>“Wow, nice to know you love me for my body and not the person inside,” he huffed jokingly.
</p><p>“Oh please,” Saruhiko scoffed. “I haven’t even gotten to use your body yet, how can that be all I love about you?” Misaki was suddenly grateful for the darkness, since it had to be hiding his blush. Though why was he even getting embarrassed when he was the one who went there first, dammit!
</p><p>“Aw, you mean you actually love me?” he said, miraculously managing not to stutter. Though once he said it, the words sank in, and for a second he felt like his heart had stopped. Was- was that too soon? Love was a pretty big deal, wasn’t it? And with the way Saruhiko denied even the most casual of feelings like joy or amusement, surely love would take a long time for him to accept. Shit, Misaki had really messed up, hadn’t-
</p><p>“What, is that not allowed?” Saruhiko counter-questioned, sounding a bit peeved. But Misaki thought he would melt with how that made him feel. He no longer was grateful for the darkness, since it was inhibiting his ability to stare sappily at his boyfriend in an attempt to telepathically convey all the gooey things he was feeling. He did his best with the slight illumination the flashlight gave, but Saruhiko wasn’t looking at him. He was looking instead at something ahead of them. “Ah, there it is,” Saruhiko said.
</p><p>Misaki turned to look at what Saruhiko had seen, and flinched. There was a wall of fallen rocks directly in front of them, and he thought he could see bits of metal sticking out. As soon as he saw the collapse, he felt it too: not just the sudden jolting stop of the train crash that had occurred here, but also that unnatural floating in the pit of his stomach from falling, because apparently the collapse had affected someone who had been above it too. He shuddered, squeezing Saruhiko’s hand a bit to remind himself it was still there. The ghosts were near. They were all out of sight, thanks to Saruhiko, but they were still there, hovering at the edge of their periphery, wanting the same things they always did. Life. Afterlife. One last request. To share their death. It was all the same desires, and Misaki felt like the world’s shittiest person as he ignored their feelings, following Saruhiko as he strode to where the right edge of the collapse met the tunnel wall. Just a few yards beyond the crash was the door they were looking for, which Saruhiko had theorized Mogura had gone through. Saruhiko reached for the door, then paused, turning back to Misaki.
</p><p>“Before we go any further, I should probably ask: why do you think he ran?” Saruhiko said.
</p><p>“‘Cuz he’s such an antisocial freak he makes even you seem outgoing?” Misaki snorted.
</p><p>“I meant what do you think he’s running towards?” Saruhiko clarified, exasperation evident in his voice. “Is he just trying to get away, or is he running <i>to</i> something? In other words, should we expect a fight when we catch him?”
</p><p>“Oh,” Misaki said, pausing to think. He pondered what little he knew of Mogura, wishing he had Saruhiko’s intellect and could easily piece everything together the way his boyfriend did. “I dunno, maybe. There’s rumors he’s not all on the level, y’know, and I’m guessing they must be true and that’s why he ran. But it’s not like we want to cause any trouble for him…”
</p><p>Another thought dawned on him, and Misaki’s mouth fell open with a slight “Ah.” “I just remembered, I think Mikoto mighta picked a fight with him before. Or maybe threatened him? He was tryna poach some of our customers, tellin’ ‘em he could fix up their ghost problems when he can’t. Plus sometimes, his crystals can actually make things worse, since if a ghost is feeling one thing and you throw more of that feeling at ‘em…”
</p><p>“That sounds moronic,” Saruhiko sighed. “And by 'that', I mean both the actions of this piece of sewer muck we’re trying to hunt down, and Mikoto’s violence towards him. I’ll have to thank him for making our job even more challenging.”
</p><p>“Hey, this guy wasn’t listening!” Misaki protested, coming to his brother’s defense. 
</p><p>“Well if Mikoto was doing the talking, then no wonder. Not everyone speaks Grunt,” Saruhiko drawled, and Misaki nearly groaned in frustration. “Though with that information, I think we can expect danger up ahead, so be careful.”
</p><p>“Should I leave my body and try and scout ahead?” Misaki offered, not that he was particularly thrilled about doing so when there were ghosts around. Or at all, really. Leaving his body always felt so vulnerable, a bit like walking naked out into the middle of a hurricane. 
</p><p>“Are you a moron?” Saruhiko asked incredulously. “Misaki, if you leave your body, I have to lug it around. How am I supposed to carry you and hold the flashlight at the same time? You may be short, but you still weigh a bit much for me to carry you one-handed.”
</p><p>“I’m not that short!” Misaki yelped automatically. “I’m only about an inch below average,” he added at a disgruntled mutter.
</p><p>“The point still stands that you’re too heavy for me to carry.”
</p><p>“Only because you’re a noodle who only eats noodles!” Misaki retorted, belatedly realizing that it wasn’t as good as it had sounded in his head. Not only was it false, but it also didn’t make a whole lot of sense, did it? “A-anyway, you’re just weak!”
</p><p>“Brains are greater than brawn,” Saruhiko replied. “Now hush. If you’re that loud when I open this door, he’ll hear us coming for miles.”
</p><p>“Whatever, just open the damn door already,” Misaki huffed, rolling his eyes. And to think, only five minutes ago he’d had Saruhiko admitting he loved him. Where had the times gone?
</p><p>“Get off to the side first,” Saruhiko instructed. “In case he’s waiting with an unpleasant surprise.”
</p><p>“Are you really sure you don’t want me to scout ahead?” Misaki asked. “Not a whole lot, just to make sure he’s not there when we go in,” he added quickly so that Saruhiko wouldn’t call him a moron again.
</p><p>“And how are you going to see to scout?” Saruhiko asked.
</p><p>“When I’m out of my body, I feel living people a lot like how I feel ghosts when I’m in it,” Misaki explained, wondering how this had never come up before. Then again, for all his curiosity, Saruhiko was pretty good about understanding that Misaki didn’t like talking about his ability much. If only he could teach that fucker Reisi to do the same… “It’s almost like my senses reverse, in a way.”
</p><p>“Ah,” Saruhiko said, with that slight tone of irritation that he got whenever he hadn’t known something. Misaki couldn’t resist a smile. “Alright, but be quick,” Saruhiko decided.
</p><p>Misaki leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, letting the sensation of falling forward without actually falling envelop him. That’s how leaving his body felt. It was a bit like when he was falling asleep and got a sudden jolt of wakefulness, and just like those jolts, it was followed by a brief moment of hypersensitivity as he tried to regain his bearings. The world he saw when he was like this was blurred, like a watercolor painting that had too much water, and as always he idly wondered if this was how it typically looked to Anna. After all, he still saw mediums clearly, albeit in grayscale tinted with a single color. Like right now, he could see Saruhiko better than he had in hours, but tinted in blue with an outline of red. But Saruhiko wasn’t what he was looking for, Mogura was.
</p><p>Turning, Misaki pushed his way through the door, straining to get through the physical barrier. Yeah he could phase through solid things in this state, but it took some effort. On the other side he paused, sensing ahead as best he could, but he didn’t feel Mogura. They should be good. Slowly, he retreated back through the door, and settled back into his body with relief.
</p><p>“He’s not there,” Misaki reported.
</p><p>“Good,” Saruhiko replied. He opened the door without further ado, and Misaki followed him in.
</p><p>The flashlight illuminated a tunnel that was wide enough for the two of them to comfortably walk side-by-side, but not much wider. The two of them shared a look, and then proceeded down the tunnel, trying not to make much noise since their steps echoed more in the closer space. It was a futile effort though, as the ground was uneven and even with the flashlight they could only see so much, so they were constantly scuffing their feet along the floor or taking harder steps than they meant when the ground was a little farther than they anticipated.
</p><p>Because he was struggling so much with walking, and because he was trying to keep an eye on the area down the tunnel, Misaki didn’t notice at first that the door never closed behind them. He also didn’t notice that among the echoes caused by their clumsy steps, there were more echoes, those of another set of footsteps that were far more assured thanks to years of practice. And when he did notice, it was too late.
</p><p>“Don’t move,” a voice said, and Misaki felt something at the back of his head that he was willing to bet was a gun. Shit.
</p><p>Of course Saruhiko didn’t listen. He turned around, shining the flashlight on a goggle-clad figure and <i>glared.</i>
</p><p>“Get your fucking gun off my boyfriend before I fucking end you,” Saruhiko said, his tone almost pleasant.
</p><p>“Oi Saru, stop it,” Misaki hissed.
</p><p>“Yeah Saru, stop it,” Mogura agreed, his voice just the tiniest bit shaky. “And turn back around, or else you won’t have a boyfriend!”
</p><p>“Fine, fine,” Saruhiko said, rolling his eyes as he turned back around, putting his hands up. “Your hospitality sucks, by the way.”
</p><p>“You’re the ones barging in on my turf, Homra,” Mogura retorted. “If you didn’t want to die, then you shouldna come down here!”
</p><p>“Alright then, go ahead and shoot us,” Saruhiko drawled, sounding bored. “We’ll be sure to give you a nice warm welcome to ghosthood when you join us during Jungle’s event next week.”
</p><p>“Nice try, you guys just don’t want any competition,” Mogura spat.
</p><p>“You hardly count as competition,” Saruhiko said, and Misaki decided it was about time he intervened before Saruhiko actually got them shot.
</p><p>“No really, Re- our psychic saw it,” Misaki insisted. “He said there’s a lot of people who will probably die if they go, including you. Go ask any fortuneteller you want, I bet they’ll tell you the same thing!”
</p><p>“Any <i>legitimate</i> fortuneteller,” Saruhiko added, a bit unnecessarily in Misaki’s opinion.
</p><p>“Why should I believe you?” Mogura asked.
</p><p>“Because we sure as hell wouldn’t be down here if we didn’t have to be,” Misaki informed him. “And because it’s not just you we’ve been talking to. Yesterday we went to see Alphabet Squad to have them bow out, and we’re also trying to get help from Ashinaka and some others to keep as many people alive as we can. This is serious, y’know.”
</p><p>“Yeah right, there’s no way I-” Mogura suddenly cut off, and for a second Misaki worried Saruhiko had tried something, but then Mogura started talking again. “Hang on, you’re that one that’s scared of ghosts. That’s supposed to get possessed real easy right?”
</p><p>“I-I’m not scared,” Misaki said petulantly on reflex.
</p><p>“You know there was a train wreck down here, right?” Mogura said, sounding maliciously gleeful. “Lots of ghosts in a place like this.”
</p><p>“Don’t remind him, he gets clingy,” Saruhiko drawled.
</p><p>“Here’s what we’ll do,” Mogura said. “You two will stand against the wall, facing toward it. Once I’m past you, you’ll turn around and go right back the way you came, got it? And if I catch any of you Homra punks down here again, I really will shoot.”
</p><p>“We wouldn’t have come down here in the first place if you just had a calling card,” Saruhiko grumbled, obediently walking over to the wall and pressing his front against it. Misaki did the same. They waited as the soft shuffle of Mogura’s footsteps went from one side of them to the other, then carefully stepped away from the wall and started back the way they’d come as instructed. Mogura followed them from a few feet behind, making sure they didn’t try anything.
</p><p>The door was still open at the end of the tunnel, and Misaki cursed himself silently for not shutting it behind him in the first place. It probably would’ve kept Mogura from sneaking up on them like he did. They stepped through it, and Misaki glanced back to see if Mogura would continue to follow them or what, but Mogura was already reaching to close the door. It closed behind them with a rather final thud, and Misaki relaxed with a sigh of relief.
</p><p>“What a fucking drama queen,” Saruhiko remarked, stretching as if they hadn’t just been threatened and causing the flashlight beam to bounce around.
</p><p>“Yeah, he is, but did you really have to go pissing him off like that?” Misaki snapped. “He had a fucking gun on me, Saru!”
</p><p>“So?” Saruhiko replied, and Misaki very nearly broke up with him on the spot but he continued. “It was an airsoft gun. Those pellets would probably sting at that range, but they’d hardly kill you. And it had the safety on. You were in no danger.”
</p><p>“Oh,” Misaki said. “Well still, I didn’t know that, so it was-”
</p><p>Saruhiko shut him up by swooping in for a kiss, making it just deep enough to short circuit Misaki’s brain before pulling away and striding back towards the intersection of tunnels they’d come from earlier.
</p><p>“C’mon, idiot,” he called behind him. “My battery’s not going to last forever, you know.”
</p><p>“Jackass,” Misaki muttered, scurrying to catch up. But all in all, he supposed the day could have gone a lot worse. It really was a good thing he’d had his boyfriend along after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I was originally thinking Mogura's gun was real, but it felt a little too dickish having Fushimi antagonize someone who might seriously kill them. If it were just him, then sure, the gun would be real. But once you throw Yata into the equation... yeah, he ain't gonna risk that. At least, not in this au.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Misaki Gets Hot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Fire, burns</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The end of June rolled around, and with it came Jungle’s event. The day of the event, Misaki ended up stress cleaning the house he shared with Anna and Mikoto, although his efforts were decidedly unfocused. One minute he’d start scrubbing the toilet, but then he’d decide he needed to clean the kitchen cabinets instead, but then he’d remember Mikoto’s room hadn’t been vacuumed in over a month, and he could never get fully invested in any one task before he was hopping onto the next one. In the end, he actually made more messes than he cleaned up, since he was so busy flitting from one project to the next without finishing any of them. 
</p>
<p>By the time evening set in, Misaki’s stomach was beginning to feel heavy with nerves. It wasn’t nausea, exactly, or a stomachache, but it was uncomfortable all the same and it was making him irritable. He felt almost as prickly as Saruhiko, and that was saying something.
</p>
<p>It was still light out when they met up at the bar to pile into Kusanagi-san’s van to go meet Jungle, since the days were still so long. A part of Misaki wanted to pretend that the late sunset and early sunrise would help them, would somehow keep them all safe, but he knew better. Plenty of ghosts operated during daylight. Hell, some of them even stuck to the diurnal schedules they’d kept while they were alive. No, the short night wouldn’t protect them. But a guy could dream, right?
</p>
<p>Totsuka-san’s acquaintance Maria joined them for the ride to the meet-up point, since she didn’t have a car of her own. Somehow, she ended up with a row to herself, while Anna rode up front, Saruhiko and Misaki took the third row, and Mikoto, Reisi, and Totsuka were all in the back. Misaki couldn’t say if it was because Mikoto and his boyfriends wanted to sit together, or if it was just because Maria was fucking scary. As in, Misaki wouldn’t doubt it for a millisecond if you told him she’d killed a man before. Or several. Most of the women Misaki knew were scary in some manner or another, but Maria definitely took the cake. It didn’t help that she was a natural enemy to anyone with medium powers, since with her qigong she could control the energy in her body and even create waves of such sheer life that it messed with anything that had any sort of ghostly energy, living or dead. One blast from her could seriously mess with their senses, and even put them out of commission for a while.
</p>
<p>The drive was short, which was nice since it was hot, yet Misaki still wished it took longer since he was dreading this. And because the parking lot they pulled into managed to contain pretty much all of his least favorite faces, all conveniently hanging around together. There was of course Yukari, and with him were his two colleagues, Sukuna and Nagare. Sukuna was about the same age as Anna, with pale skin and bleached hair and a smug expression that made him impossible to like. Nagare was pale from never seeing the sun except on rare occasions, and due to bad legs he was always either in his wheelchair or on crutches. He was using the crutches at the moment, but his chair could be seen sitting nearby.
</p>
<p>Also present was a former priest they knew by the name of Iwafune Tenkei, though he went by Iwa-san. Iwa-san had left the cloth after becoming frustrated at not being free to exorcise ghosts readily; he could sense the presence of ghosts- although he lacked Sight and wasn’t much good at pinpointing where exactly the ghosts were- and more importantly, his holy water was as good against ghosts as one of Mikoto’s fists. Iwa-san was alright, but he was talking to a man who ran a “psychic” agency called Colorless, and who refused to ever give his personal name, claiming it would give an advantage to any ghosts who learned it. Colorless claimed a lot of things, all of them utter bullshit. But still, he had managed to stay in business for a couple years now, not as long as Homra of course, but still long enough that clearly he had to be doing something right if his lies hadn’t gotten him sunk yet. Similarly, the Minato twins- a pair with a psychic connection but no real powers beyond that besides being creepy- were also there, making Misaki taste bile in his throat.
</p>
<p>There were a couple of other familiar faces there, like Shiro, and also a girl garbed in the attire of a miko who Misaki recognized as Yukizome Kukuri, one of the more useful priestesses from the Ashinaka Shrine. But also-
</p>
<p>“What the hell is that kid doing here?” Mikoto asked, leaning over Totsuka to peer out the window. Misaki was wondering the same thing.
</p>
<p>A little bit before Saruhiko had come along, there had been a time when Homra had been troubled by a certain young man named Yamata Daichi. Yamata had been an avid believer in all things supernatural, and had convinced himself that he might obtain Sight by hanging around Homra and other psychics and shadowing their cases. Instead, he’d almost gotten himself killed when he got in over his head, but thankfully that had at least dampened his obsession. Or so they’d thought. Clearly he wasn’t as reformed as they’d thought if he was hanging out here.
</p>
<p>The last two people present were a couple of unfamiliar guys standing next to Yamata who were wearing ridiculously fancy outfits. They also held themselves with the kind of confidence that made Misaki instantly assume they were idiots, and they were definitely phonies since he didn’t sense so much as a speck of psychic energy from them. Somehow, he had a feeling they’d be a pain in the butt to deal with. 
</p>
<p>As Homra debussed- devanned?- Nagare made his way over to them, hobbling skillfully on his crutches. Sukuna was right on his heels, though thankfully Yukari continued to mingle with the assembled psychics and mediums. Dealing with all three of them at once was likely to give Misaki an aneurism, and he had a feeling none of the others would fare much better. Even two of them was gonna raise Misaki’s blood pressure an unhealthy amount, but he’d manage somehow.
</p>
<p>“Greetings,” Nagare intoned in that flat way of his that made Misaki want to check him for a pulse. “Thank you all for joining us this evening.”
</p>
<p>As he spoke, Sukuna sidled over to Misaki like he always did, and, in typical fashion, made a sudden sharp motion towards Misaki, raising his arms over his head and hooting, “Boo!” Misaki grit his teeth but ignored him, even as he broke into peals of laughter.
</p>
<p>“Indeed, we are looking forward to what you have planned,” Reisi told Nagare politely, absolutely lying through his teeth. Well, probably. Knowing Reisi, he really could be looking forward to whatever was gonna happen, because he was a freak like that. 
</p>
<p>“I am sure you all will find it most entertaining,” Nagare replied.
</p>
<p>Sukuna was now poking Misaki in the arm and guffawing about how he’d “scared” him, and Misaki felt his patience wearing thin. Thankfully, Anna came to his rescue, because she was a good little sister like that and also she could almost definitely feel his irritation building.
</p>
<p>“Sukuna-kun, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop bullying Misaki-nii,” she told the brat, who immediately flushed and abandoned Misaki to face Anna directly.
</p>
<p>“A-Anna! Hi!” he said too brightly. “I-I I wasn’t bullying him or anything, it was just a bit of fun. L-like an inside joke, y’know?”
</p>
<p>“If it’s only funny to you, it hardly counts as an inside joke,” Saruhiko drawled.
</p>
<p>“Che,” Sukuna huffed, before he noticed who had spoken. “Oh, you must be Homra’s new guy. Hey Nagare, were we gonna interview this guy here or wait until later?”
</p>
<p>“Later, definitely,” Saruhiko declared. “As in never.”
</p>
<p>“I wasn’t talking to you, conman,” Sukuna sneered.
</p>
<p>“Remind me again why we’re trying to keep these people alive?” Saruhiko asked Misaki in an undertone.
</p>
<p>“You do remember I didn’t wanna help them in the first place right?” Misaki hissed back.
</p>
<p>“Oh right, no wonder,” Saruhiko replied.
</p>
<p>“Given that our final guests should be here soon, I think it would be best to do it on the bus rather than hold up our departure,” Nagare replied while Misaki and Saruhiko were having their low-volume exchange. “Waiting until we are on site is another option, however that will hold things up, and I am certain everyone will want to get started right away. The members of Prince Psychic Agency in particular seem quite enthusiastic.”
</p>
<p>“Are you sure they’re not just insane?” Sukuna asked, glancing less-than-subtly in the direction of the two guys Misaki didn’t know. 
</p>
<p>“Sanity is a rather tenuous concept, affected by the perceiver,” Nagare replied. He opened his mouth to say more, and Reisi was also opening his mouth with a rebuttal, but thankfully Maria intervened.
</p>
<p>“You guys better have a real haunting this time,” she informed Nagare testily. “I interrupted my training to come down here, if it’s not worth it I’ll kill you.”
</p>
<p>“You say that every time,” Nagare pointed out. “Given that my colleagues and I are still alive, that would indicate that either we have consistently managed to make it worth your while to participate, or that you are making empty threats. Either way, we will walk away from this alive.”
</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Mikoto muttered under his breath, and Totsuka-san shushed him.
</p>
<p>“Maybe I’ve let you off in the past, but you never interrupted my training before,” Maria retorted in a dangerous low tone.
</p>
<p>“Technically we’re the ones who interrupted your training,” Totsuka-san chirped. Misaki fully expected Maria to round on him, and by extension, all of Homra, but instead she just waved a hand as if fanning the words away like smoke.
</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t have bothered me if they hadn’t set this gig up,” she replied. “Besides, you at least made it worth my while by offering me tickets to a hot spring.”
</p>
<p>“Which you turned down since you said it would be too crowded,” Totsuka-san pointed out.
</p>
<p>“Yes, but you still offered, which was sweet. It’s the thought that counts or whatever, right?” Maria rebutted. “Unlike these guys, who don’t give a damn about anybody but themselves.”
</p>
<p>“Incorrect,” Nagare intoned. “We care very much about our fans, which is why we are so careful in our pursuit of the truth. By holding events such as these, we guarantee that our viewers have more information to base their conclusions regarding the reliability of the area’s psychics and mediums on.”
</p>
<p>Maria just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Nagare, not impressed. Nagare blinked back at her, emotionless, so certain of his logic that he probably couldn’t even comprehend her disagreement despite the fact that he was some kind of genius or something. Misaki had heard Nagare had like three PhDs, or maybe it was three awards? Either way, even Reisi acknowledged Nagare as smart, and Reisi was a fucking know-it-all, so that meant Nagare had to be insanely intelligent. Or just insane. It could be hard to tell with people like those guys.
</p>
<p>It was possible that the little stand-off between Nagare and Maria might have lasted all night (and maybe spared them from the impending disaster), but mere seconds after it began, it was interrupted when two vehicles entered the parking lot they were all waiting in. The first was a business van with the words “Scepter 4” written on the side over a logo, while the second was a bus. They both pulled up and parked, though the bus merely opened its door while two people got out of the van. They were wearing blue jackets which must have been hot in the summer heat, but which Misaki supposed would be nice if this event lasted all night, since things did tend to cool off. They also looked vaguely familiar, though Misaki wouldn’t have been able to tell you their names since all those Scepter 4 guys looked kinda similar to him. He was pretty sure he’d come across all eight of their number in the months since they’d first encountered the group, but he wasn’t entirely sure.
</p>
<p>“It seems we are all here,” Nagare commented. “And with such fortuitous timing too.” He hobbled towards the bus, stopping by the door and looking back at the assembled guests to gesture hospitably towards the door.
</p>
<p>“Guess it’s time to get going,” Kusanagi-san sighed, and headed over towards the bus. Some of the other guests had had the same idea, and soon a short queue formed at the door. Misaki would have preferred not to get on the bus, and judging by the look Saru was giving the vehicle, the taller medium felt the same way. Though strangely enough, Saru’s distaste was what gave Misaki the determination to go ahead and join the line, dragging his boyfriend with him. Within a minute or so, everyone was on the bus, and Misaki had taken a seat next to Saruhiko, with Anna and Kusanagi in front of them and Shiro and Kukuri-san behind them. Mikoto and Reisi were across the aisle, with Totsuka and Maria just in front of them and the Scepter 4 guys behind them. The other guests were more spread out, with the twins sitting next to each other and making motions while they spoke telepathically near the front, while Colorless chose the back corner, and the remainder of the group spread out through the bus.
</p>
<p>As the bus pulled out of the lot where they’d met, Misaki felt a sudden chill, and flinched, wondering how many of them would make it back here. For all his dislike of Jungle, he had to admit he didn’t <i>really</i> want them to die, if only because he dreaded the thought of Sukuna possessing him. The worst part was knowing that there might not be anything he could do, that he might just have to rely on everyone else while he sat back and cowered behind Saru or Mikoto like the scaredy-cat people called him.
</p>
<p>“Anything I need to know about the interview that brat mentioned?” Saruhiko asked lowly, pulling Misaki out of his thoughts.
</p>
<p>“Huh?” Misaki responded, because it took a moment for his brain to catch up to his ears. “Oh, that. Eh, they just kinda ask you pretty basic stuff; what abilities you have, how long have you had ‘em, how and when did you get into the business. It probably won’t be that bad for you, since your power’s pretty cool and all. Not like me.” Misaki shifted lower on the seat, folding his arms across his chest.
</p>
<p>“I take it your interview didn’t go so well?” Saruhiko asked, looking down at Misaki in bemusement.
</p>
<p>“Fuckers gave me all zeros,” Misaki grumbled.
</p>
<p>“Zeros?” Saruhiko asked.
</p>
<p>“Ugh, it’s annoying,” Misaki complained, not really wanting to talk about this but knowing it was unavoidable. “They give mediums ratings on things. From 1-10. There’s how useful your power seems, how believable they think it is, do you feel like an actual medium to them, shit like that.”
</p>
<p>Saruhiko clicked his tongue. “If they rated you so poorly it just makes it more obvious that they don’t know what they’re talking about,” he huffed.
</p>
<p>“Haha, yeah,” Misaki agreed, cheering up a bit. “Oh, I did get one ten though,” he admitted reluctantly. “They let their fans rate us as well, on how appealing they find us. Apparently a lot of people thought I was ‘cute’.” He made air quotes over the word cute, resenting the word and everything it meant when used about him.
</p>
<p>Saruhiko clicked his tongue again, glaring out the window like it had offended him. For a second, Misaki wondered if maybe Saru was a bit jealous, but no, that couldn’t be right. He probably was just annoyed at the idea of being rated by Jungle’s fans. After all, Saruhiko didn’t like people, so he’d hate being popular, right?
</p>
<p>They had a few moments of peaceful silence, but of course Sukuna wasn’t about to let things be, and before long the pale kid was coming up the aisle towards them and asking Saruhiko to go join him, Nagare, and Yukari. Saruhiko reluctantly went, and Misaki almost accompanied him, but Anna stopped him with a shake of her head. Apparently something she’d felt from Saruhiko made her believe he’d best be left alone. A traitorous part of Misaki was glad, since things tended to go badly for him when Jungle’s cameras were rolling, but he still felt guilty for not going along to support his boyfriend. Besides, knowing Saruhiko, Jungle was in for a good old-fashioned tongue lashing, and Misaki would love to see that.
</p>
<p>Since he wasn’t sitting in on Saru’s interview, Misaki instead pulled on his headphones, using his phone to play some music. It made him wonder why he hadn’t tried listening to music sooner, since the heartbeat pounding of the bass and percussion soothed his nerves, while the war cries of the guitars riled him up, making him fearless in that moment. Why had he ever been so afraid again? Surely, whatever ghosts they were headed towards, Anna and Saruhiko and Mikoto could take ‘em. 
</p>
<p>A sudden chill ran up Misaki’s spine, rushing along his arms in a wave of hairs standing straight up as if trying to leave his skin. He didn’t have to look down to see the goosebumps that had formed. But even as he sensed the coldness of ghosts, he barely even felt it in the wake of the heat. Sweat formed on his sensitized skin, evaporating almost instantly from the sudden fever he felt. The air was so hot, he couldn’t breath, he was suffocating-
</p>
<p>A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and he jerked his headphones off as he looked up, seeing Saruhiko standing there, having finished his interview. Misaki gasped for air, no longer overwhelmed by the sensations that had overtaken him, but still burning from the inside out. He moved his legs so that Saru could take the window seat, and his boyfriend slid into place.
</p>
<p>“That was even more of a waste of time than I thought,” Saruhiko commented about his interview with Jungle. “To think they even asked for my star sign, as if that makes any difference in anything.” He snorted. “Seems more like an attempt to get personal information if you ask me.”
</p>
<p>“Mm, yeah,” Misaki agreed weakly, having barely heard what Saruhiko had said. Not surprisingly, Saruhiko noticed, and whipped his head towards Misaki, concerned.
</p>
<p>“Is something wrong?” he asked Misaki, peering at him like he could figure it out on his own if he just looked closely enough. 
</p>
<p>“Uh, not really,” Misaki replied, still feeling breathless. “I mean, kinda? I just felt- I mean, I think-” he cut off with a gasp as another wave of heat passed over him, and he felt his skin begin to blister, yet when he looked down there was nothing wrong with his arms. Distantly, he heard himself release a soft but desperate cry, and from in front of him he heard a whimper that had to be Anna- though whether she was resonating too or getting all this from him, he couldn’t say. He was in agony, every nerve in his body alight with pain, and he tasted blood as he bit his cheeks to keep from screaming. He knew there was a way to make this stop, if he could only get up a good enough shield, but no matter how he tried to build his walls they just shattered, unable to stand up to the pain. If only it would stop he needed it to stop it had to stop just make it sto-
</p>
<p>Something cool pressed into his hand, and the sensation washed through his whole body like a bucket of ice water being poured over him. He could still feel everything from the resonance he’d been getting, but it was muted, distant. He didn’t need to look down to know that there was a marble in his hand, protecting him with Anna’s calm strength. Misaki shuddered, suddenly freezing now that he was no longer being baked by the resonance, and took a deep breath. The air he inhaled smelled like Saruhiko, making him aware of the fact that he was being held against his boyfriend’s chest. He could feel Saru’s hand on his shoulder, clenching a little too tightly as he held him in place, and he smiled weakly, knowing he must have worried Saru. He’d have to apologize later, he supposed.
</p>
<p>“Misaki, what happened?” Anna asked, and he knew she meant to the ghosts and not him.
</p>
<p>“Fire,” he mumbled hoarsely, parched from the blaze he’d just experienced. “There was a fire.”
</p>
<p>“Wow, you sensed that already?” Yukari asked, and Misaki twisted upright to see the man standing in the aisle, leaning against Mikoto and Reisi’s seat and pointing a camera at him. He grimaced. “We’re still at least five minutes from our destination, I wouldn’t have expected you to sense anything until we got closer. In the mean time, Saruhiko-chan, why didn’t you mention you and Misaki-chan were dating? I’m sure the fans would love to hear all about it.”
</p>
<p>“Your fans can mind their own damn business,” Saruhiko growled.
</p>
<p>“Aw, don’t be like that. You two make such a cute couple,” Yukari cooed.
</p>
<p>“We’re not trying to be cute,” Saruhiko retorted. “Now scram.”
</p>
<p>“Fine, fine,” Yukari sang, turning off his camera and sauntering back towards his seat.
</p>
<p>“No wonder Alphabet Squad couldn’t come along,” Totsuka-san said as Yukari walked away.
</p>
<p>“Mm,” Mikoto agreed. “But we’ve dealt with fire ghosts before. What makes this time so bad?”
</p>
<p>“Arson maybe?” Shiro suggested softly.
</p>
<p>“No, that’s not it,” Misaki insisted. “It was an accident, I’m sure of it. Just…”
</p>
<p>“Just...?” Kusanagi-san prompted.
</p>
<p>“I dunno. They’re really angry about something, but I’m not sure what it is,” Misaki sighed, wishing he had more to tell them. Kusanagi-san liked that saying about how knowledge is power, and power might be the thing that kept them alive tonight.
</p>
<p>Misaki realized he was still holding Anna’s marble, and wondered if he should give it back. But with as bad as he’d felt before, he was sure that, unless he was concentrating on his shield, it would just shatter again, rendering him useless. Well, useless-<i>er</i>. He wasn’t exactly all that helpful to begin with, and somehow he had a feeling this wouldn’t be a case where he could actually help. These ghosts didn’t want to interact with the living, that much he was certain of.
</p>
<p>“Thanks, Anna,” Misaki said, holding up the marble both to let her know what he was thanking her for and to offer it back just in case. Maybe he would just be dead weight without it, but if Anna needed it, then it was better for her to have it in the end.
</p>
<p>“I have spares,” Anna replied gently. “I thought they might come in handy, and then Reisi said we’d need them, so I made plenty.”
</p>
<p>Misaki felt a surge of guilt, since he hadn’t even realized Anna was working so hard. She really was amazing, their Anna. Always protecting everyone.
</p>
<p>“Do you have enough for everyone?” Shiro asked, and Anna nodded, making Misaki’s heart plummet. If everyone would need Anna’s marbles, that couldn’t mean anything good.
</p>
<p>“I’ll distribute them when we get there,” she replied. “Though I don’t know if everyone will take them. And even if they do, it might not be enough.”
</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about doing enough,” Maria said. “Just do what you can. If it’s not enough, that’s not your fault.”
</p>
<p>“Yes, but our idiots aren’t very good at accepting that,” Totsuka told her.
</p>
<p>“Totsuka, you’re the biggest idiot of the bunch,” Kusanagi deadpanned. Totsuka could only laugh at that.
</p>
<p>“As far as I’m concerned, you’re all idiots,” Maria replied. “Good people like you usually are. That’s what’s so worrying about you.”
</p>
<p>“Thanks for caring,” Totsuka said.
</p>
<p>“I’m just trying to pay you guys back,” Maria told him. 
</p>
<p>The bus slowed, pulling into a cul-de-sac driveway with a large parking lot at the end, on the other side of which was a building with a cross on top of it. The church was surrounded by grass, probably room for future grave sites. The verdant landscape didn’t look anything like the site of the disaster Misaki had felt, and yet he could sense the ghosts nearby, giving him fever sweats and chills even with Anna’s marble. He gulped, bracing himself to get off the bus. This was gonna be a looong night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger warning: Fire, burns<br/>It belatedly occurred to me that this arc should probably include some trigger warnings. If anybody read the last chapter and had any issues due to the initial lack of warning (one has been added), I apologize, and will try to be better in the future. I'm also going to bump up the rating to M just to be safe (sorry for doing that so suddenly), and update the tags, since I'd rather be overly cautious than causing people mental distress.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As promised, Anna distributed her marbles once everyone was off the bus. Unfortunately, not all the idiots took them. Colorless refused, as did the Minato twins, and the two fancy-pants who Nagare had called Prince Psychic Agency had only taken their marbles after Yamata had stepped in.
</p><p>After the marbles had been passed out, they did a quick round of introductions, since not everyone there had met before. Thanks to that, Misaki learned that the two Prince guys were the Tanakas, Youji and Arion, and Yamata was their assistant. From there, everyone began trickling into the church to look around, but Reisi held everyone from Homra back, as well as Shiro, Kukuri, and Maria. The two from Scepter 4 started to stay back as well, but Reisi waved them on.
</p><p>“Did you have an epiphany?” Kusanagi-san asked once everyone was out of earshot.
</p><p>“Not as of yet, no,” Reisi replied. “However, I thought it would behoove you all to know the advantages and disadvantages of having Akiyama-kun and Benzai-kun from Scepter 4 along. Akiyama-kun acts as a spiritual amplifier, while Benzai-kun has the opposite effect. Since the two of them affect both ghosts and those with ghostly powers, I thought it wise to warn you, as both of their abilities are area-of-effect types and so getting too close to Benzai-kun will be detrimental to you, but letting ghosts get too close to Akiyama-kun is also dangerous.”
</p><p>“They sound pretty dangerous to have along,” Kukuri commented.
</p><p>“They could be, but they could also be a great boon,” Reisi replied. “It depends on the movements of everyone here, and also of the ghosts. If we can keep Benzai-kun closer to the ghosts and Akiyama-kun closer to the mediums here, it could very well be the difference between life and death for us, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
</p><p>“Thanks for letting us know,” Shiro said. “It’s definitely something we’ll need to keep in mind.” He turned and followed everyone who had gone into the church, and the rest of them trailed after him.
</p><p>Inside, Saruhiko grabbed Misaki’s hand as if he’d read Misaki’s mind and knew how much Misaki needed it just then. The two of them stayed close together, and it made Misaki wonder if his boyfriend wasn’t more nervous about this case than he was. What happened on the bus seemed to have awakened every protective instinct Saruhiko had, and Misaki really hated the timing because damn that was hot. And not just fire-ghosts-giving-him-resonance hot. 
</p><p>They slowly passed through the main hall of the church, walking down the center aisle between the pews, all senses alert. Even those who lacked any sort of sixth sense were tense, so they all jumped when, as they reached the front and approached the pulpit, one of the Tanakas suddenly let out a cry and dramatically put the back of his hand to his forehead.
</p><p>“Oh no, the ghosts are upon me!” he cried. Misaki barely held back a snort, because even without his sixth sense, there was no way he would ever have believed such a ham performance. Yukari still eagerly moved forward with his camera, making sure to film everything. 
</p><p>“Youji!” the other Tanaka cried, rushing up to his husband. “Are you okay?”
</p><p>“Arion, I feel so faint,” Youji whispered. “The air here is so foul with smoke from the fire.”
</p><p>Misaki seethed at the way they were apparently playing off of the information he’d given them. Goddamn phonies. Beside him, Saruhiko didn’t bother trying to hide his disdain, letting out an irritated sigh. 
</p><p>“What a farce,” Saruhiko muttered. Kusanagi shushed him.
</p><p>“Let them have their moment,” Kusanagi told him. “If the cameras are on them, then they’re not on you.”
</p><p>Apparently Saruhiko couldn’t argue with that, since he mumbled something that even Misaki couldn’t quite hear, but sounded almost like “... Right.”
</p><p>“So I take it there’s not actually anything here?” Totsuka-san asked quietly.
</p><p>“Nope,” Mikoto answered.
</p><p>“They’re below,” Anna added quietly. There was a slight tremor in her hands as she spoke, one which made Misaki want to use his free hand to take hers, like when they were kids and Anna was more like a ghost than actual ghosts were, and it felt like she’d just fade out of existence unless you held onto her. It felt a little childish though, since with Saruhiko on his other side it would be like they were playing a game like ring-around-the-rosy or red rover. And this was no place for fun and games. They may not have reached the epicenter of the haunting and found the ghosts responsible yet, but there was still an aura of gloom in the church. Maybe that was why the phonies were staging their little performance; even without a sixth sense, surely they could still feel that this place was haunted. Surely they felt their skin tingling and were getting shivers up their spine.
</p><p>But no, Arion pulled out some glitter, calling it “spiritual dust” (which would have been a lot more convincing if the craft store price tag weren’t still visible), and blew it at Youji, who gasped loudly before “recovering”, then bowed to his husband in thanks. 
</p><p>“No ghosts can overcome the power of our love!” Youji declared.
</p><p>“Ick,” Saruhiko grimaced. “Misaki, if you ever say anything remotely similar to that-”
</p><p>“Then check me for possession because there’s no way I would,” Misaki interrupted, cringing.
</p><p>“Good, because we’d be through if you did,” Saruhiko finished.
</p><p>“Yeah well, same to you, asshole,” Misaki retorted.
</p><p>“Please, I’d cut out my own tongue before spouting such inanity,” Saruhiko drawled. Which honestly, was probably true, but it’s not like Misaki was any more likely to say that!
</p><p>Ahead, the Tanakas had finished their B-movie drama scene, and the group once again proceeded through the church, albeit with Youji leaning heavily on Arion and moaning pitifully every few seconds. But again, it could be them unconsciously realizing the danger they were in, because as Misaki looked around, he realized they were all clumping together. Mikoto had one arm over Totsuka-san’s shoulder, and the other over Reisi’s, and while his posture was loose and relaxed, Misaki knew him well enough to see the tension he was radiating. Kusanagi-san was hovering close to Anna, his lighter in hand which he’d gotten out to light a cigarette but had ended up holding defensively in front of him instead. Maria and the Scepter 4 guys were also sticking close to each other, and Shiro and Kukuri had taken up angled positions next to each other so that they could easily swivel to protect each other’s backs. Iwa-san could be found pushing Nagare’s wheelchair and frequently crossing himself, while Sukuna held Nagare's crutches next to them. Yukari was still filming the Tanakas, as well as Yamata who was staying close “in case they needed help”. The twins were shifting uneasily as well, leaving Colorless the only one who was unaffected by the atmosphere. Either that, or he was bluffing out his ass, since compared to everyone else who was frightened, Colorless was downright jolly, giggling quietly to himself and mumbling things about how exciting this was going to be. Creep.
</p><p>The further they proceeded, the more people began clustering closer together, never straying more than a few paces from everyone else, and always returning from their dalliance quickly. If Sukuna had cried “Boo!” again right then, Misaki definitely would have jumped, and he was willing to bet there would be more than a few wet pants and maybe even a heart attack or two as a result. It wasn’t that the ghosts were exuding any sort of general unease, or that the church was creepy (it was actually kinda a nice place, with lots of windows letting in the light), it was just pure primal fear, that sense of danger that could never quite be bred out of the species, not completely. There was danger waiting for them, and they could all feel it.
</p><p>Maybe it was the resonance, but Misaki was becoming more and more certain that the ghosts knew they were there. After all, if everyone who entered the building instantly went into fight or flight, then how would this place get used as a church? It wasn’t all that uncommon either, for ghosts to sense mediums coming, and with as many mediums as they had here, of course they’d been noticed. He only wished they hadn’t.
</p><p>They had almost finished the main floor and were getting ready to go down to the basement when Anna spoke next, just one word, but it told them plenty.
</p><p>“Why-whys.”
</p><p>With the mention of why-whys, Saruhiko’s grip on Misaki’s hand tightened almost painfully, and the taller medium clicked his tongue. In the past few months they had encountered a few why-whys with Saruhiko, and he had come to hate both the ghosts themselves as well as the term Homra used for them. And while Misaki generally didn’t approve of Saruhiko’s negative attitude towards ghosts, he could kinda understand it in this case.
</p><p>Among ghosts, there were plenty that would bemoan their state of existence, often asking questions that began with “Why”. “Why did I have to die?” “Why didn’t I listen to that warning?” “Why didn’t I just skip work that day?” “Why?” As such, Mikoto had dubbed them “why-whys” and the term had stuck. Why-whys were never any fun to deal with, since the best of them were whiny as all get out and very hard to satisfy, and it never took long for why-whys to go from whiny to bitter, and bitterness sometimes turned to things even worse, which must’ve been what had happened here. 
</p><p>“Not that I think there’s even the slightest possibility any of you will agree, but could we just wait out in the bus?” Saruhiko grumbled.
</p><p>“You’re welcome to go by yourself,” Totsuka-san said.
</p><p>“Though your boyfriend’s safety cannot be guaranteed if you do,” Reisi added, his voice teasing a bit. 
</p><p>“I’m not fucking going unless he does,” Saruhiko snapped. “There’s no way I’m leaving Misaki behind. Or did you forget what happened the last time I did that?”
</p><p>Misaki wanted to point out that technically when he’d gotten possessed by the ghost of Saruhiko’s… not-dad, Saruhiko hadn’t left him behind. Or at least, it wasn’t just him, but all of Homra, and they’d done so because Misaki was supposed to have been safe sitting in Kusanagi-san’s van. But he knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn’t stop Saru from blaming himself for that time and everything that had happened even though it wasn’t his fault. Besides, as far as Misaki was concerned, what Saru was really saying was that he wanted to stay by Misaki’s side, which was really fucking sweet. That, and he didn’t trust Misaki to fend for himself, which kinda stung but they weren’t lying when they said the truth hurts.
</p><p>“That would be very wise in this case,” Reisi said, and the teasing was gone.
</p><p>This time, when Saruhiko’s grip increased, Misaki’s was increasing right there with him.
</p><p>The stairs down to the basement were thankfully on the wider side, allowing them to proceed a few people at a time rather than just in ones and twos. Nagare had to switch back to his crutches to get down the stairs, while Iwa-san carried his chair for him since he had cameras attached to it.
</p><p>When they arrived at the bottom, they found a hall with a large room to one side and a series of smaller rooms on the other. By unspoken agreement, they went to the smaller rooms first. One was clearly a nursery of some sort, with blue walls painted to look like a cartoon cityscape, and lots of toys and some block-shaped pillows stacked up in a corner. The next had a table and some chairs, while the one after that had a small library. There was a room with a piano and some instruments, but the rest of the rooms appeared to be storage rooms, with items like a nativity, costumes and props for performances, a stack of board games, and a fake pine tree.
</p><p>There wasn’t a single ghost to be found in those side rooms, but Misaki had known that when they first went to look at them, as had all the other true mediums. They still lingered on that side of the hall though, since they knew that the next room would be different, would bring disaster upon them. Reisi in particular seemed to be idling in certain places, though Misaki couldn’t be sure if he was doing his psychic thing, being dramatic, if he was doing something, or if it was random. Then again, with Reisi it could easily be all of the above.
</p><p>As if he sensed Misaki noticing him, Reisi suddenly spoke up, causing a couple surprised gasps, and Arion raised a hand to his throat.
</p><p>“There certainly are a lot of candles here,” Reisi commented idly.
</p><p>“You scared us half to death for <i>that?</i>” Maria asked flatly.
</p><p>“They’re scented candles,” Reisi replied.
</p><p>“Oo, what scent?” Youji asked.
</p><p>“There’s a few different scents, but there certainly seem to be a lot that are lavender,” Reisi said.
</p><p>“Oh. I prefer rose scented,” Youji pouted.
</p><p>“Wait, isn’t lavender-?” Yamata asked slowly, frowning. He was the only person who had such an uncertain reaction though, since everyone else had either changed to an expression of understanding, or still looked annoyed at the way Reisi had startled them.
</p><p>“A plant that is repulsive to ghosts?” Reisi finished. “Quite. Candles wouldn’t quite have the same effect, I should think, although they would still irritate the ghosts. I’d imagine it would be a bit like hearing a persistent whining sound at all times, or perhaps like having a partially healed sunburn that no longer stings but is maddeningly itchy.”
</p><p>“How would you know, you’re not a medium,” one of the Minato twins sneered. Misaki wasn’t sure which one, since he couldn’t tell them apart. They were both pricks anyway.
</p><p>“No, but I have dedicated enough time to researching ghosts to be able to approximate,” Reisi replied. “It is no secret that ghosts dislike lavender. However it is also common knowledge that fresh lavender works best against them. Based on that, one might surmise that lavender-scented candles- which are quite far removed from fresh lavender- would have greatly reduced potency against ghosts, causing mild discomfort but no true harm. Furthermore, thanks to Yata-kun, we have learned that the ghosts here are quite angry, and while Anna’s own observations have given us a probable reason for that, adding environmental factors into the picture creates an even more plausible explanation for the state of this site’s haunting.”
</p><p>“Pff, what haunting, we’ve been here almost an hour and have yet to see even a single paranormal event,” Colorless giggled.
</p><p>“The fact that things have remained calm thus far might be considered a gift horse,” Reisi said coolly. “And as such, it would be unwise to look it in the mouth.”
</p><p>“We still have one more room to search,” Kukuri pointed out. “And some ghosts tend to hide from mediums or large groups of people, so they might not want us to see them.”
</p><p>“Ah, I had not taken such factors into consideration when planning this event,” Nagare intoned. “How remiss of me. I was too concerned with setting up an active comparison of our local mediums to consider the logistics and any potential detriments that might occur. How unfortunate.”
</p><p>“Ghosts are not science experiments,” Anna said quietly, a little anger in her voice. “You should not treat them as such.”
</p><p>“I assure you, it is not the ghosts I am concerned with, but the efficacy of all of you mediums,” Nagare said. It was probably supposed to sound soothing, but in his flat tones, it came out rather pompous.
</p><p>“We’re not experiments either,” Mikoto pointed out. “We’re people.”
</p><p>“And so were they,” Misaki added, meaning the ghosts. He’d never understood why some people preferred to think of ghosts as some sort of monster; maybe it was ‘cuz they could be so dangerous, maybe it was something to do with being afraid of death and not wanting to accept that they might become ghosts too, or maybe it was because the desires of ghosts didn’t always make sense to the living. Whatever their reasons, Misaki hated it when people thought like that, though maybe it was because with his ability and the amount of resonance he dealt with, it was impossible for him to forget that ghosts had been alive once. 
</p><p>“That doesn’t mean they get a free pass to be annoying,” Saruhiko grumbled, and Misaki had to roll his eyes. He supposed he should give his boyfriend credit for acknowledging that ghosts were people, but it was still frustrating how Saru didn’t have even a ounce of sympathy for ghosts. 
</p><p>“People or not, they try to kill me, I kill them,” Maria declared. “That goes for living people too, so don’t mess with me, any of you.”
</p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Totsuka reassured her.
</p><p>“Only a fiend would dare assault a lady,” Youji added. Maria raised an eyebrow at him, as if assessing whether or not he was annoying enough to justify blasting him with her qigong.
</p><p>“Don’t worry, I never <i>try</i> to kill people,” Colorless giggled.
</p><p>“Oi, oi, we’re here to fight ghosts, not each other,” Iwa-san scolded.
</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll properly make them into ghosts before I fight them,” Colorless replied.
</p><p>“Before that, shouldn’t you worry about the ghost that’s right behind you?” Saruhiko deadpanned pointing to the wall over Colorless’s left shoulder. Colorless whirled, flailing wildly to dispel the ghost. It was a futile effort though, partly since Colorless wasn’t a real medium, but also because there wasn’t actually a ghost there- not that Colorless could tell. “Ah, nevermind, it was just a mosquito,” Saruhiko said after watching for a few seconds in amusement. “My bad.”
</p><p>“No, no, there really was a foul spirit there!” Youji cried.
</p><p>“There wasn’t,” everyone from Homra, Shiro, Kukuri, Maria, Iwa-san, and the two Scepter 4 guys all said at once.
</p><p>“W-well can’t some ghosts hide their presence?” Yamata asked, standing up for his boss. “Maybe you guys just didn’t-”
</p><p>“D’ya really think there’s a ghost out there that can fool Anna’s eyes?” Mikoto asked. Yamata glanced at Anna and gulped.
</p><p>“You never know,” he mumbled weakly.
</p><p>“Whatever, let’s quit wasting time already,” one of the twins said. “I say we go into-”
</p><p>“-the last room and prove this site isn’t haunted-” his brother said, the first twin falling silent exactly as his brother picked up. Overlapping their sentences like that was one of their favorite tricks. Personally, Misaki hated it, since it was like using a bad set of headphones where the two sides kept cutting in and out.
</p><p>“-and leave,” the first twin finished.
</p><p>“Well, it’s not like we’ve got anything else to do here,” Benzai agreed.
</p><p>For all the twins’ bravado, they didn’t take the lead in heading towards the final room. In fact, no one wanted to go at first, until finally Maria cried, “Oh for fuck’s sake!” and stomped off, Totsuka following and dragging Mikoto and Reisi with him since he wouldn’t abandon his acquaintance and his boyfriends wouldn’t abandon him. The rest of them followed after, with Youji clutching Yamata’s shoulders as he cowered behind the younger man. Hesitantly, they all crept down the hallway, edging towards the entrance to that final room. 
</p><p>Strangely enough, the closer they got to the final room, the less resonance Misaki got from the ghosts. He didn’t think it was a good thing though. It meant the ghosts knew they were coming, and he had a feeling they had some sort of little greeting planned. And not a friendly “Hi there, nice to meet you!” sort of greeting. More like an assassin’s greeting.
</p><p>The hand that was holding Saruhiko’s was beginning to hurt, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of how hard he was gripping it or how hard it was being gripped. Their joined hands were beginning to sweat, and Misaki kinda wanted to let go and wipe off his hand on his shorts but he didn’t dare. He huddled close, wrapping his spare hand around Saruhiko’s arm for good measure.
</p><p>The group entered the room, and nothing happened. It was a bit anticlimactic really, since they’d been so scared, but after a few long seconds, they began to relax, and even laugh a bit. Or at least, the non-mediums did. For the mediums, it wasn’t so simple. Anna had shut her eyes tight and had her hands over her ears, Shiro had his fingers up to whistle for Kuro and Neko, and almost all the other mediums had entered defensive stances of some sort. Misaki began shivering uncontrollably, and Saruhiko pulled him even closer to try and help. It was sweet, but there was no way a human body would be able to generate enough warmth to counter the ghostly chill that was penetrating Misaki’s blood and bones. It was coming. And then-
</p><p>Flames.
</p><p>Misaki didn’t see who had done it, but someone had stepped too close to a certain section of wall. Misaki knew it, because he saw it, but in a different time, when an old heater that had stood there, one that many people had complained wasn’t safe, had finally exploded into flames while members of a youth group were cleaning up after an activity night. Some had escaped, ignoring the cries of their friends as they fled to save their own lives.
</p><p>Just as had happened then, the explosion split up the people in the room. Misaki clung ever more tightly to Saru, or what he thought was Saru, anyway. It was hard to tell since his senses had gone numb in the blast from the ghosts. For all he knew, he was already dead; maybe they all were.
</p><p>There was one thing he was still aware of though. It was a single thought, circling around and around and around in his head.
</p><p>
  <i>Fuck Jungle and their fucking events.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I was originally planning on just sticking to Yata's POV and summarizing what happens to everyone else after the fact, but then I started having *Ideas* about everyone else. What this means is that, while you get more ghosty mayhem, it's probably gonna take a little extra time for the next update, since I want to get everything written before I post any of it to make sure I don't make any mistakes. That being said, I've been kinda in The Zone lately with writing, so maybe I'll be able to get it all done fairly quickly anyway? We'll see.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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